Hope for the future
by Bartholemeow
Summary: Dodge Hatchback, is a Guardian and an American Civil War II veteran. After a surprise attack, from remnants of the New-U, Dodge is thrown out of his reality and into the world of Eos. He and his ghost, Sagira, must find their purpose here. [Expect next chapter in august, I'm having trouble with Grammarly premium. the bright side is I might ad multiple chapters at once.]
1. Prologue

***starting new campaign***

***Bartholemeow has Joined Chat***

**(Bartholemeow) Oh, it is good to be back in the game. How has everyone Been?**

**(D-bot) We do not own Final Fantasy XV or Destiny.**

**(Bartholemeow) and you again…**

***Prologue starting in 5. 4…3… 2…1. Enjoy.0***

* * *

**Midland Memories/ Exotic Auto Rifle**

**Description/ ****Remember Midland and Odesa**

Auto rifle field forged by the Texas Guardian in remembrance of his broken home.

**Weapon perks/ **Fire bringer, Texas Reckoning, Rampage, Field prep

**Lore/**

Speech mad to the 3rd brigade of the 2nd division of First Texas, by Sgt. Johnson

Men, each and every one of you have fought for Texas since the beginning of this God-forsaken war!

Now we stand at the doorsteps to the last stronghold of the New U's collapsing Dictatorship!

Here we can show those nose grubbing, women wannabes who're the Best Mother****** in the whole U.S. of A

Now, I've never been one to get into politics and I sure as hell won't start now, So say it with me now.

Remember the Alamo!

*Crowd* Remember the Alamo!

Remember Goliad!

*Crowd* Remember Goliad!

Remember our Fallen!

*Crowd* REMEMBER OUR FALLEN!

Remember Midland and Odesa!

*Crowd* REMEMBER MIDLAND AND ODESA!

OOH-RAH!

*Crowd* OOH-RAH!

Damn Right, now let's rollout.

* * *

Sunshine showed into a valley canyon glimmering off of the stream down below and brought warmth to the cold Colorado air. A tiny brown squirrel nimbly walked across a gravel road to find an acorn lying in the middle; it could only pause a second before the rumbling of an Engine scared it away.

The muddy white van blew a dusty trail along the Gravel road as it sped towards its destination. Inside the windows, one could see young campers ready to get off their ride and have a nice relaxing vacation. The green trailer hitched to its back had three words and three numbers painted onto its side.

TROOP 287, Midland Texas

Following the twisting gravel road before it, the van made an eventual turn, passing through a gate made out of stone and wood standing fifteen feet tall and almost thirty feet wide. One the beam connects the two pillars of rocks, read "Camp Alexander" in white letters.

across the road in some shrubs by the river, a lone shrubbery seems to stand up and walk away.

* * *

"Color guard, retrieve the colors." a Camp Alexander staff member barked towards the green-shirted staff members standing erect next to the poles.

As one, they all began to slowly lower the flags, Each one having a solemn or straight face on themselves as they all stood in remembrance of their past few years.

Dodge Hatchback stood erect in salute as he watched the Camp staff lower the flag of the broken but whole again United States. His grey-blue eyes told of many battles to protect that flag, and the losses he took for it as well. His scout uniform was a bit small for him, but with his skinny nature, he was able to fit in it.

Behind him standing just as erect as him, were his comrades in arms, his troop, his brothers. They fought many battles in their time in the war, more so than some of the older soldiers. They were veterans in their own right, but still young enough to attend a boy scout camp.

As the counselors handed him the U.S. flag, he held it with a small amount of pride in himself.

***Grimoire card unlocked-Civil war II Summarized-Prologue***

* * *

As the week wore on, Troop 287 had many fun adventures.

From early morning hikes up a tall mountain, stargazing tours, polar bear plunges, trips to the trading lodge, to finding a cave at the top of the mountain and starting a signal fire. Yes, they had many fun adventures.

Ryan Herriage, also known as Crackpot, hosted a DnD session for the nerds in the group, Dodge included. Throughout his twisted campaign, troop members who participated had insane stuff thrown at them. From, Field dressing a moose in the middle of a fight, ripping a help wanted poster in half only for it to be stolen by the rogue, taming a whale by giving it some lettuce, seducing a village with Vampiric powers, to having intercourse with a farmers cow. Ryan Herriage was very messed up in his head.

Most of the troop spent their free time, playing Ga-Ga Ball near the Mess hall. One time while playing GGB, a scout decided he would slam the ball with two hands, at the fastest dodger in the pit. This, in turn, sent the Ga-Ga-Ball into the mess halls window, straight into the Quartermaster. The Quartermaster who was known to be the strictest Quartermaster in all of Colorado. The same Quartermaster, who had a twelve-gauge shotgun on him since his time in Vietnam.

"COME BACK HERE YOU DUMB ***** *****?****?(I seriously wonder how much lung capacity he has.)****%$$# !, and then I'LL ******** %## && %& ! & Nintendo switch. *censored* ^-^% $# %$!^-'~the founding fathers would be ashamed!"

The Quartermaster, screamed as he barreled towards a panicked group of young boys as they made their way past a grey circular building that held the campfire ring.

But as all good things are, they eventually come to an end.

Eventually, the closing campfire came sooner than anyone really wanted it too. So it happened that they sat back and watched the scout skits play out.

An hour or so of that, it came soon that they were asked to remain silent as the lights went out.

Footsteps on gravel echoed around the circular amphitheater as scouts and parents watched silently as silhouettes marched in formation to the stage in the northern section of the circle. The thudding of their boots on the footsteps leading up to the stage emphasized in them, this was serious.

The footsteps fell silent as they could only guess what was going on. For a few moments, everything was quiet. Then a quick flapping noise before the lights on the stage turned on to reveal the old glory held by two staff members.

"I am the flag of the united states of America," a camp Staff said from behind her.

The presentation continued as the mood of the room grew hopeful in love of their country. Troop 287, watched in wonder, as they grew intrigued. Dodge, however, was having an internal conversation.

' _Dodge, I'm detecting hostiles_.' a female voice spoke to him inside his head

' Its probably just a bear, Sagira.'

_'It says they're armed_.' Sagira said with worry in her tone.

' Of course, they do, how else do they walk?' Dodge shot back smugly as he continued to watch the Flag ceremony.

' _With guns, but I guess bears have access to gunpowder as well as we do._'

Upon hearing Sagiras sarcastic reply, Doge leaned back against the grey wall and focused on their conversation.

'fine, fine you win. How close are they?'

_'20 meters. pretty close for comfort._'

'Is my armor ready to switch into when I give the signal?'

"Excuse me, can I scoot past you, I need to use the restroom, I think I had too many steaks* tonight." Dodge leaned over to his buddy, who was sitting next to him. And He happened to be lying next to the drop-down to the entrance.

Upon hearing the code word, Thomas nodded and let him drop down to the ground.

_'Ready as always_.'

'good, give me my HuD now.'

In the top left corner of his vision, a circle popped up with little red sections showing the enemy's location. In the top of his vision, he saw his shields were going up, and towards the bottom left of his vision his super was fully charged as well as his melee abilities.

On the top left corner of his vision, a circle popped up with little red sections showing the enemy's location.

Looking in said direction he spotted-*bang* a shot went straight through him, killing him instantly.

'how many times do I have to be killed by snipers.'

_'Quite a lot, it seems._'

Light-filled his vision until he was back in the corner of the campfire ring.

As Dodge got back up, Everybody in the ring began to panic. The little kids were awed by the light show of Dodge's resurrection, while the teenagers were asking what was going on. Troop 287 went from boy scouts to soldiers in a matter of moments and began settling everyone they could down.

That was until a loud voice bellowed, "They have us surrounded. what do we do!"

"Keep quiet; that's what!" Sagira co-opted the speakers by the stage to amplify Dodge's voice.

Double-jumping to the ground, Dodge walked up to the camp director, a tall, lean individual with graying hair.

"Do you have any back exits? secret trails, tunnels, what have you," spoke Dodge with as much authority as he could muster.

"We do have them, but seeing as we are indeed surrounded-" the aging man was cut off by Sagira who popped into existence with a tiny shower of sparks next to Dodge.

"_We'll handle that. you have the easy part_."

And with that, she turned to Dodge. Her shell similar in appearance to her old one, but a little less shiny. She and every ghost like her looked like a floating bubble.

"_Heres your armor_." And in a flash of light Sagira enveloped them both in view as she disappeared into his body.

When the light faded, Dodge now stood in his Hunter armor. Green and brown patchworked armor made up his torso, sleeves, and gloves. His Helmet was a shaped like a gas mask with yellow eyes. His legs were covered in light blue padding made to look a bit like jeans. And his hood was a dark red, with silver highlights.

Holstered on his right, was a hand cannon. Strapped to his back was a purple Grenade launcher and in his hands, he now held his own Auto Rifle, Midland Dreams.

"I'll draw their attack, find a way to sneak by them," Dodge said to the Director, his voice distorted slightly.

The Director watched as they left, a look of passive amazement etched onto his face.

"So, the legends are true. Good luck, young man."

Running out of the Campfire building, Dodge ran to where he saw the hostiles on his Radar. This was going to be one heck of a fight.

Sniping with his auto rifle, Dodge clipped a man crouched behind a tree on the hill leading up to the nearby cliff.

Double jumping, Dodge landed next to the bleeding man. The man was dressed in an all-black suit with an emblem-

'The New U'

-on his left soldier.

_'what is this guy doing...wait, do you think they?'_

'Probably, maybe...who cares this is the A-hole who shot me!'

Before the remnant soldier could look up, Dodge had his forearm on his chest pushing him up against the tree.

"Why are you here?"

"*cough* You may as well kill me you son of a-*bang*" Before he could finish, a bullet slammed through the injured soldier's skull.

Surprised, Dodge followed the direction of the bullet to the top of a nearby hill. There stood a soldier with a sniper rifle.

Picking up the dead soldier's sniper rifle Dodge aimed, and *bang* got the sniper in the kneecap.

_'Did he miss, or just took their oath way too seriously'_ Sagira asked much to Dodge's amusement.

A group of soldiers began to trickle through the forest from behind the Mess hall. Popping a few of them with the sniper rifle, Dodge double jumped forwards to meet them head-on.

Soon way after wave of soldiers began popping up out of nowhere and popping some with his Auto rifle, taking out soldiers from behind with his hand cannon, Deleting groups of them with his Grenade Launcher, and sometimes taking them out with a Voidwall. Dodge kept them at bay so that the camp could escape.

'that all of them.'

_'No hostiles in our radius are that I can see. Great job partner._'

'let's go check to see if they made it out.'

Rushing inside the circular fire ring, Dodge found one of the members of Troop 387 casually watching the fire. The amphitheater was empty; they made it.

"Hey cobalt, I take it they made it?"

Looking up at the mention of his nickname, 'Cobalt' got up from his resting spot.

"No thanks to you." He said with a scowl on his face.

"Aww, come on. I had to deal with those soldiers that were trying-"

"to kill you. They completely ignored us. And don't call me Cobalt." 'Cobalt' said downright seriously.

Dodge had mixed feeling about this. Firstly because Cobalt was a by the book kind of guy, he always took everything seriously. But he also had a generous heart and would let things go if the problem was cute enough.

"Did you wait here to berate me or to take me to the guys because-"

_'incoming, get to cover NOW.'_

Looking at his hud a brief moment, Dodge lunged towards his comrade, taking him down to the floor with a "HEY!" thrown in there. Seconds later, *Boooooom* a hole was torn into the side of the building.

Getting up and holding his hand out for Cobalt to pick himself up, Dodge searched for the source of the explosion. A silhouette appeared to be on top of the mountain.

Cobalt picked himself up and turned to him questioningly.

"Go, I'll take care of this rocketeer," Dodge said seriously

"See you there," Cobalt yelled, running towards the back exit.

"Time to run," Dodge muttered to himself.

Double jumping onto the grounds outside, Dodge ran in the direction of the Lake. Double Jumping over any obstacles in his way.

*Boom* Running as fast as He could, Dodge kept on running towards the Lake before double-jumping up a hill. *BOOM* A car exploded from a Rocket. Running past the med lodge at the top of the hill, he noticed a dead Doctor laying on the ground.

_'Poor soul._'

'He will be remembered.'

Finding himself at a cliff before the Lake, Dodge turned around just in time to see a flash of light at the top of the mountain. Not one to risk getting blown up, Dodge swan-dived into the Lake and swam as far as he could before-*BOOOOOOOOM* the rocket exploded on the surface of the Lake.

The shock wave nocked Dodge unconscious as he slowly lifted into Darkness.

'It's odd,' Dodge thought, 'how despite being made of light we guardians only see Darkness when we sleep. Well, that and our Light.' Turning slowly, he spotted the source of his Void light. A large purple glowing sphere, the frayed edges continuously changing.

Trying his best to touch the sphere, Dodge was interrupted by a voice calling his name.

_'Dodge, Dodge, DODGE'_

'yes, Sagira.'

_'Eyes up Guardian'_

Opening his eyes, he found himself blinking as sunlight poured through his visor. Taking a glance at his surroundings, he found himself in the middle of a murky green pool floating in-between old grey pillars.

"Where am I?" Dodge asked before swimming to the nearest edge of the pool he could find, next to a mossy boulder.

Sagira fizzled into existence next to him to also take in their strange, yet familiar surroundings.

Around them was a pine forest. Through the trees ahead of them, they could spot a road. But right in front of them, they saw the ruins of some sort submerged into a murky green pond.

_"I've lost connection with the Government satellites, Wherever we are, it's not Kansas,_" Sagira stated grimly.

"Well, Kansas is in the middle of nowhere."

_"*Chuckles* Touche`"_

Looking up to the sky at the clear blue sky, Dodge felt the warmth of the sun. And subtly, very subtly, he felt it diminish.

* * *

.

**(Bartholemeow) This was fun to write; I can't wait to begin work on the grimoire card, which will be posted on a separate Fanfiction. It will explain some of the obscure lore behind Dodge and maybe tell a few exciting stories as well.**

**(D-Bot) reading the Grimoire cards are not required to understand the Fanfiction but are recommended if you wish to know more about this alternate universe.**

**(Bartholemeow) They will be posted sporadically throughout the fanfiction's runtime**

**(Bartholemeow) Also, a Big thanks to A.D. Williams for helping me out on this, please check her stories out if you like Final Fantasy XV stories.**

***Prologue over***


	2. Some wait for the call

***Starting Chapter 2***

**(D-bot) we do not own Final Fantasy XV or Destiny; they belong to Square Enix and Bungie respectively.**

***Chapter starting in 5.4…3…2…1. hope you enjoy.0***

* * *

**The White Rabbit/ Legendary Sidearm**

**Description/** Follow me down the rabbit hole.

**Weapon Perks/** Outlaw, moving target, Kill clip.

**Lore/**

-from the philosophical archive of the Ishtar Collective

Author Name: unknown

How would Alice react if she ended up in her favorite childhood book?

Terrified? Overjoyed? No, she would likely feel very confused about her situation.

Would she set about making the world a better place, and instantly become friends with the fictional characters she always wanted to meet?

The answer is no, Meeting characters she read about would probably cause her to question her very existence. An existential crisis is bound to happen to her at some point.

Then, how do you expect a human to react if they were put in their favorite video game, fantasy world, or Sci-Fi adventure?

They would react very much different than what Japan and North Korean writers have theorized in Isekai Anime.

There are only so many leaps in logic that I can put up with and the way they portray what is supposed to be a normal human reaction is frankly absurd.

The rabbit hole only can go so far down after all.

* * *

The sunshine glistened off The Gigantoad as it basked in the Sun's warmth. It's golden rays pierced through the trees above him. hearing footsteps in the grass ahead of it, the large amphibian rolled over to spot a figure standing a short distance away. As the figure grew closer, the toad became more and more panicked. Deciding the best course of action was to squash it, the toad began to move quickly.

Rolling over quickly, the Gigantoad had only enough time to jump before a loud cracking sounding came from the human's rifle. Before he even had the chance to attack the beast was dead.

"Huh, 'Gigantoad.' Where have I heard that before..." Dodge tilted his head upwards towards the mountains.

Next, to Dodge, Sagira fizzled into existence.

"_It was tagged that way by the light, that means it was registered as hostile to the light."_ Sagira rambled as she tried to make sense of what they just saw.

Dodge, however, turned his head towards the ruins laying in the middle of the forgotten pool.

_"So, basically, this must be some sort of alien-battle-toad-thingy that must contain darkness within itself enough that it is registered as immediately hostile_." Sagira rambled on, not noticing Dodge walk silently closer to the edge of the forest looking out through the trees and past the road.

_"Hey! are you even listening to- Woah! what in the traveler's name is that?"_

Towering over the landscape was a blue shaped crystal meteor, subtly shifting now and then. Dodge recognized this Immediately. After all, you didn't play a game for over a hundred hours and not remember a single moment of it.

"Eos... Were on Eos," Dodge muttered towards himself, which did not go unnoticed by Sagira.

_"That game you used to play? what was it called, Final Franchise?_ "Sagira asked bemusedly.

"Yes, it is, and It was called Final Fantasy 15. great characters and world, sad ending though."

_"What happened?"_

"Basically? Everyone died. The main character, the sacrificial lamb, the romantic interest, the blonde comic relief, the blind man. Everyone. All as a sort of game that this world's reigning entity devised." Dodge bitterly explained as he turned towards Sagira.

_"So basically, we're in a heavenly hell?"_ Sagira supplied with a twist of her shell.

"Yep, and I have absolutely no idea why Were here. That rocket blast didn't have enough power to throw me into another universe... but it nocked us of course? 'I'm confused." Dodge slowly began walking towards the road again, Sagira following behind him.

_"So basically, we pulled a 'me'?"_ Sagira joked before pausing mid-flight as she thought of something.

"Yes, yes we did," Dodge turned around to notice she had stopped, "Something up?"

_"Remember when we first met? Like you know the battle of Midland and Odesa?"_ Seeing Dodge nod at this, she continued. "_Well, one of the first things I did was try and reach the satellites of Mercury. Instead, I found the, rather primitive, Sattelites surrounding your earth? If this world is advanced enough, maybe they have satellites too?"_

Dodge nodded along with her as she explained this.

"well, If I remember correctly, the main character had a phone, so unless they communicate via magic, I guess they do," Dodge said, agreeing with Sagira.

Sagira, upon hearing this, expanded her shell to reveal a transparent blue orb of light surrounding her lens. "_Boosting signal...and, got it."_

Retracting to her typical look, Sagira shot out a small blue beam that shaped into a miniature globe in front of them both.

_"It seems, we are in the southeastern edge of what is known as the 'Duscae' region. in the nation of Lucid."_

"Lucis" Dodge interrupted.

_"But their capital is named Insomnia, don't you think it would have been more fitting too actually call their nation' Lucid'?"_

"True, they probably changed it so that other nations could take them more seriously." Dodge shot back with ease. "Plus that doesn't excuse you for deliberately mispronouncing their name."

"_Eh, you have a point. Anyways, there's an outpost nearby; we could head there to look around, possibly earn their currency_." Sagira told Dodge, who chuckled at the fact that she already had an idea on what to do in this world so fast.

"I sometimes forget you're a computer crammed into a tiny shell."

_"well with a personality like mine, who wouldn't forget_." Dodge chuckled at this.

At Dodge's amused chuckle, Sagira took that as his way of telling her to continue as they made their way in the direction of the Outpost.

_"I mean, just look at the Guardians ghost. He was practically an Amazon Echo with a male voice actor."_

At the bottom of the hill, they were on; a car turned onto the road they were on.

"To be fair, Nolan Norths ghost did have his quirks. He quickly got upset a lot and didn't-"*woosh*A car zoomed past them with little regard to their safety.

_"Errr, that guy was in a rush. What was his problem?"_

"You're askin' me," Dodge replied, his southern accent coming into effect.

* * *

The walk into Cauthess rest area was surreal. Seeing it on a Tv screen is one thing, but to actually be there? That was another thing entirely for Dodge.

'If I were my younger self, I'd be thrilled to be here.'

_'Wait, you're not already thrilled to be in a game?'_

'You of all people should know that I've changed from that excited nerd who got to save his home.'

_'Define 'save.'_

Dodge looked down for a moment, but then made his way over to the crow's nest, knowing from the games that there would be a tipster there.

On the way there, he noticed the residents of this small town begin to stare at him. Not that he blamed them of course if an armored man armed to the teeth walked into town without so much as a word of warning, he'd be staring too.

_'It seems we've caught their attention.'_

'I noticed.'

Standing in front of the Crow's nest, he almost burst out laughing at the sight of the Kenny Crow statue on the bench until he realized one thing.

'Im going to have to take off my helmet aren't I.'

_'Well, it is the polite thing to do.'_

Flipping back his red hood, Dodge began to try and unclip his helmet from his suit. After a minute or so of struggling, Sagira chose to pipe up.

_'Need help there, cowboy?'_

"*sigh* yes."

And with that, the clasps on his helmet all clicked open. With a twist, Dodge pulled the mask off.

Clipping his helmet to his belt, Dodge opened the glass door to the Crow's nest.

Inside was what one would describe as a typical 60's ere dinner. Red padded booths, black and white tiles, pretty much the whole shebang; The only thing that was missing was the waitress in a pink uniform on roller-skates.

Behind the stylish counter, was a man wearing a green shirt and an apron.

"Hello, and welcome to the Crow's nest, how may I help you?"

"I'm looking for a hunt," Dodge said, sitting down on one of the barstools.

"May I see your hunting License?" The man asked, looking down to check his roster of Hunting missions.

"I don't have one. I just need some col for food." Dodge said hopefully, Thinking back on the currency used in the game.

_'Geez, I wish we could use our glimmer. Why don't they use the global currency, yen?'_

'I forget.'

The man behind the counter seemed to size him up. Scratching his chin, the tipster looked deep in thought.

"You look like you can carry a good fight. So, I'll tell you what." The man pulled out a slip of paper. "Take these fellas out, and I'll pay you half the bounty that a licensed hunter gets. That's about 650 Col."

"Deal," Dodge said, holding out his hand.

"Great, show me their shells, and we'll be good."

_'uhhhhhh'_

'think we can find a way to save the shells?'

_'nope, but I can record the fight.'_

"Will a video of them dying do?" Dodge asked, tilting his head.

"Even better," The man said, cracking a small smile. "Those pests are more trouble than the Town Drunk."

And with that, they shook hands.

* * *

**(Bartholemeow) How was that, any good? This chapter is a bit short, but don't worry, they will be getting longer.**

**(D-bot) if you are into long stories of course.**

**(Bartholemeow) And thank you to everyone who has followed.**

***Chapter 2 over***

**A/N fixed a few forgotten lines.**


	3. The Days Ahead

***starting chapter 3***

**(D-bot) Disclaimer: We do not own Final Fantasy XV or Destiny; they are owned by Square Enix and Bungie respectively.**

**(Bartholemeow) This chapter took a while, and I had to get on to FFXV to find some things out.**

***Starting in 5.4.3…2… you enjoy.0***

* * *

**Rewarding Hunt/ Legendary Shotgun **

**Description/"If you do need to be out past dark, you'll wanna make sure there's a hunter by your side"-Dave Auburnbrie**

**Weapon perks/Last hunt, kill clip, Rampage, full auto**

**Lore/ Description of Auburnbrie**

**-interview with an unnamed hunter.**

**Who hasn't heard of Hunter Dave?**

**The guy is a legend, a man-made a legend. Sure there is 'Cor the Immortal,' and a few others. But this man has got to be the best of all of them.**

**Why? Well, I don't see Cor the immortal picking us p if we need a lift, or searching for our lost comrade's dog tags, or doing anything to support us remotely.**

**"Is he going to be the next leader of the Hunters? You mean he isn't?**

**What is 'that' supposed to mean. Of course, I know Ezma is in charge.**

**Are you-are you serious? Please don't tell her-**

**That's it; This is over. I'm done.**

***sounds of shuffling and door slamming open***

**AND NO SHOWING MY NAME EITHER!"**

* * *

As Dodge stepped out of the Crow's Nest, he had to blink as the sun shown into his eyes.

Looking down at the slip of paper in his hands, he knew just where to go.

'Looks like we're going back the direction we came.'

_'better put your helmet back on.'_

'right.'

Unclipping his helmet from his belt, Dodge placed it on his head with a light *click*. Flipping the hood back over his helmet, Dodge set about walking back the way he came.

'There.'

* * *

The trek up the road to the crater was uneventful, but the hike to it certainly was.

Dodge stood on top of a rock outcropping as he shot the centipede-like 'Hundlegs' as they slithered their way up to him. With each shot they dissolved into blue glimmer wich Sagira easily transmatted into herself.

'okay, not gonna lie, those centipede things are creepy.'

*bang-bang* Dodge shot several of them to the ground.

'I think even Ryan would double-take at having to fight this.'

*bang-Bang-Bang-bang-bang.*

The last of the group of Hundlegs exploded into blue Glimmer. Seeing that there were no ore Hundlegs, Dodge hopped off the rock. Looking up the hill, He spotted the uplifted rim of the crater.

Double jumping there, Dodge kneeled by the edge looking down into the crater. By now, the sky was glowing orange as the sun slowly set, making the cavity dark, but still bright enough to make out the moving shapes at the bottom.

_'So those are the Bulettes? huh, why did they name this hunt 'Hammer the cannibals'_

'maybe they eat each other? Anyways, I'm going to need the sniper rifle.'

A shimmering white light swapped the auto rifle in his hands to a long sniper rifle he had designed for scouting missions.

Taking aim and setting his sights on the Bulettes on the ground, Dodge had one last thing to say before he took the first shot.

"Begin recording."

Sagira fizzled into existence next to him. Her Iris zoomed in on the targets before him.

*Bang*

A flash of light slammed through the bulettes skull, jerking it to its side. The Bulettes around it turned there heads, as it dissolved in mid-air

*bang*

One of the large ones was wiped out before it could react.

'2 down four to go.'

*roar*

The remaining Bulettes began running or rolling around in a sprawled panic, making it difficult for Dodge to aim correctly at one of them.

*bang-bang*

Dodge wasted the rest of his magazine on getting one more Bulette with his sniper rifle. Holstering his sniper rifle, Dodge stood up and pulled out his Hand canon. Looking over at Sagira, who bobbed up and down in mid-air, as a sort of nod between them.

Double jumping in mid-air, Dodge shot at the nearest Bulette with his hand cannon. Taking away half its health in one go, getting up and close with it, Dodge whipped out his knife and slashed at the Bulette's face. Critical hit. The Bulette rolls over and dissolves rapidly.

_'behind you'_ Sagira mentally tells him.

Turning around, Dodge has barely enough time to dodge to the side as a Bulette goes charging into his direction.

*Bang-Bang-Bang*

Crouching, Dodge fired his Hand Cannon from the hip at the Bulette knocking its health down to two thirds.

_'on your right, nine a clock.'_

*bang*

a critical hit pierces through another Bulette, killing it instantly in a shower of Glimmer.

Turning slowly around, dodge the last Bulette bleeding as it slowly turned around to try and kill him.

Pulling within himself dodge felt the Void coarse through his left arm as a small purple orb formed in his palm.

The Bulette brought its front paw back and forth as it got ready to charge. Its shell cracked and damaged.

The void sphere in Dodge's palm grew brighter and brighter. Dodge beckoned for the Bulette to charge him.

The Bulette charged.

A wall of Void fire sprang up in between Dodge and the Bulette, and before the Bulette could properly turn away. The purple fire consumed the Bulette instantly.

"End recording."

_"Done, I don't think we need it, anymore."_

"hmm? Didn't you say-"

_"I know what I said."_ Sagira audibly sighed as she hovered over in front of Dodge. "_After decoding the matter, I came across these."_

Flashing her shell, a couple of feet behind her six Bulette shells dematerialized onto the ground. Dodge took a step back and looked over at Sagira before getting up close with the Shells, squatting down to get a better look. After a couple of minutes of looking them over, Dodge sighed and stood back up. "We're going to need some rope."

Behind him, Sagira nodded and turned a couple hundred of their Glimmer into usable rope. Dodge picked the rope up and began tieing the shells together.

* * *

A couple of hours later, Dodge trudged forward down the road as he pulled the shells from behind him. It was night, and in the distance, one could hear the sounds of Daemons crawling around.

'at this rate, we will be in Cauthess rest are by morning.'

_'This probably would have been a better job for a Titan_.' Sagira spoke to him in his mind.

"Now you tell me," Dodge grunted tiredly.

Sighing, Dodge let loose of the rope, as he sat on a nearby guard rail.

Upwards Dodge could see the stars. But what was most Jaring was that none of the consultations were familiar. No big dipper, no Capricorn, no southern cross. The only thing that looked slightly familiar was the moon. This was not the earth; this was Eos, a fictional Universe with fictional stars forming fictional constellations. For once, this made Dodge realize how truly lost he was.

"Why did I end up here?" Dodge asked out loud.

Fizzling into existence behind him, Sagira looked at him with a slight twitch in her shell.

_"Now you ask that? I know it's easy for me to cope with being in a game, but you?"_

Dodge snorted before adjusting his position to be more comfortable.

"At first, I'm going to admit, I thought this was a dream, a hallucination," Dodge stated before turning to face his ghost. "Man, I wonder what the others are thinking right now. I know whoever that rocket man was,have must have gotten one hell of an ego boost right about now."

This got a chuckle out of the little light.

_"I can see it now, 'New-U rocketman, the hero of the modern Era!'."_

This got Dodge chuckling.

"No, No even better, 'The Rocketman that changed the world'" Dodge spoke with a phony announcer voice and with a wave off

_"Even_ even_ better 'Rocketman explodes!'"_ as if to emphasize her point, Sagira expanded her shall for a few brief moments before returning to its normal look.

"Talk about an execution." Dodge deadpanned, but behind his mask, they both knew he was smirking. Their jokes were cut short, however, when headlights nearly blinded the two of them.

Seeing a vehicle in the distance, Sagira quickly fizzled out of existence and back into Dodge himself. The truck slowed down as it turned the corner, giving a better look at it. The car was a brownish grey with a covered flatbed.

As it neared the Guardian, it slowed down parallel to them. The passenger side window was rolling down to reveal a vaguely familiar brown-haired man.

Looking down at the shells tied together with a dark blue rope, The man turned to look at Dodge with a sympathetic look in his eyes. "You need a lift there, partner?"

Looking down at the shells he had collected and then back at the man in the truck, Dodge took a couple of seconds to think before replying. "Sure, just let me get these in your truck."

'Is that who I think it is?'

_'Let me guess; he's the man in charge of the hunters.'_

Taking the rope at the end of the bundle of shells, dodge heaved it onto his back, then taking a few slow steps over to the edge of the flatbed of the truck. With a mighty heave, Dodge brought the shells off his back and onto the truck.

'close, but no cigar.'

_'Thankfully I'm a ghost and don't smoke.'_

Carefully tying the shells to the back of the truck dodge mad his way to the passenger side door before hopping inside. Once inside, the man started the car, and Dodge sat back in his seat.

"You look tired, son a rough day?"

At this, Dodge chuckled while nodding.

"Thought so, Cauthess rest area I'm guessin'."

This received another nod.

"Mind taking off your helmet so we can speak?"

With some help from Sagira, Dodge unclasped his Prodigal mask and let it sit in his lap, Its glowing yellow eyes slightly disturbing the man.

"Some fancy Gear you have there, It doesn't look like something my hunters wear. You new to the game?"

Dodge chuckled at this before replying. "In a way."

"Soldier?"

"Yes, sir," Dodge said with a bit of humor in his voice. "My names Dodge by the way."

"Dodge, huh? The names Dave, I guess you could say I'm second in command of the Hunters. Nice to meet you." Dave said, turning briefly to look at Dodge before turning his eyes back to the road. They were approaching Cauthess rest Area. "I'll bring you to the tipster meet me over by the camper van when you are done."

Pulling into Cuathess rest area, Dave turned the truck into the parking lot in front of the Crow's Nest. With that, Dave parked the truck in the crow's nest parking lot, and the two waved as they headed for their destinations.

_'Well, he certainly has an interesting outlook on life.'_

After they had shown the tipster the shells and gotten paid, Dodge and Sagira made their way down to the Campervan. They Passed the Arms dealer who tried to sell them useless swords and shields and some tanks of gas.

Up ahead of them, Dave was leaning against the side of the van. Looking up, he spotted Dodge as he made his way over to the Campervan.

"How do you like her? Rented it for a night, 15 Gil and you can spend the night too. You need a place to sleep, right?" Dave called over to Dodge as he got closer.

"That's generous. This isn't a con or something, right?" Dodge asked, taking in everything.

"Nah, that's not how we hunter's role," Dave said, crossing his arms.

_'Alright. What's the catch.'_ Sagira asked suspiciously.

"What's the catch?" Dodge echoed Sagira's thoughts.

"Nothing."

"Nothing." Dodge shot back.

"Nothing." Dave reaffirmed.

Dodge stayed silent for a few minutes before leafing through the Gil he was given. Finding fifteen Gil, he handed it over to Dave.

"You've got yourself a deal."

As Dodge was about to head inside, he heard Sagira state something in his head.

_'and you are going to explain what the plot of this world is.'_

'Alright, but once I'm settled in.'

'_that works.'_

* * *

Early in the following morning, Dodge slowly woke up from his slumber and walked outside while stretching his arms. Sitting down in one of the plastic chairs, Dodge waited for Dave to get up and decided to discuss things with Sagira.

'What do you think we should do in this universe.'

_'Based on what you said last night? Slay tons of Daemons and save this world from Darkness is a perfectly suited task for a guardian.'_

'Basically, turn Eos into a battlefield? 'Dodge chuckled in his head. 'I don't think I want to fight another war. the last one was enough.'

Sagira continued on as if he didn't say anything.

_'well, they are at war with Niffleheim, based on my searches on their internet I've found we have at least five years to prepare for the events of the game. If we grind up enough, we can craft a full set of Exotic level Gear and maybe create the foundations of a functioning-'_

'Sagira' Dodge interrupted her mini-planning session.

_'yes.'_

'You're thinking to straightforwardly. and that's coming from a hunter.'

_'what do you mean by that?'_ Sagira shot back indignantly.

'What makes you think to do all that will be simple, hmm?'

_'Well, Osiris used to say that being a guardian meant protecting against all the threats against humanity. that's why he went into the infinite forest, to predict threats, to fight the threats laying within the forest.'_

Dodge hummed in acknowledgment to her point, as he stared at the Cauthess rest area in the morning. People havent woken up yet, so the place had a sort of calm as the sky began to grow yellow as the sun rose behind the mountains.

'Osiris...Osiris has made many good points. But as you have said, he has his flaws, many of them in fact. I think this situation is more or less different than how you would typically fight this. We are not talking about gods you can just kill. Or about enemies that necessarily want to end humanity.' Dodge paused in his thoughts, as his mind took him back to their surroundings.

'what we are talking about is a situation that has to be set up first, we are talking about fighting 'Destiny' itself. These gods make Atheon look like a toothpick. Let alone Oryx. What we need to do is drag them down to our level, which is quite frankly, almost impossible.'

_'But, did that stop the guardian?'_

'no'

_'The vex have very similar ways of bending reality; if we can somehow make contact with the vex network, we can hack into their plane of existence and possibly kill the B-man.'_

Dodge sighed and looked down at his feet.

_'The question is, where do we find a place with advanced enough technology that we could.'_

Dodge snorted. In the background, some loud footsteps could be heard in the Campervan.

'maybe we should make it ourselves?' Dodge supplied before turning to wait for Dave to appear.

Out through the door to the CamperVan came Dave. Seeing that Dodge was already up, Dave patted him on his shoulder, "Time to get up and movin' we've got to get to Meldacio Hunter HQ by Sunset."

Confused Dodge turned around and raised his eyebrow at the man.

"Well, you do want a Hunter License too, don't you? Besides, I need to report in to my mother." Dodge responded to Dodges questioning look.

"Want some breakfast first?" Dodge Gestured to the Crow's Nest off in the distance.

"I've got protein bars in the truck." Dave gestured to his truck.

Dodge turned his head to hide his disgust.

"Look, it's better than what the Crows Nest serves this early in the mornin'."

"I'd really love some biscuits and Gravy." Dodge sighed, leaning back in his chair.

"So, would I, but we've got some travelin' to do," Dave said with a serious voice.

'_I'm pretty sure the food back at camp was more filling.'_

'It'll have to do.'

And so, Dodge stood up and walked with Dave in the direction of the truck.

Fifteen minutes later, they were on the road, headed for Melacio Hunter HQ.

* * *

**(Bartholemeow) Wow, I needed to end it there or else I might actually get a Migraine.**

**(Bartholemeow) The next chapter is going to be pretty long, so expect a bit of a wait, but hey I might finish it in two days.**

***Bartholemeow Shrugs his shoulders. ***

**(Bartholomew) Oh and thank y`all for following. It greatly helps my motivation.**

**(D-Bot) Until next time you run into a tough spot.**

***Bartholemeow glares at D-Bot***

***D-Bot is unaffected***


	4. will be

***Starting chapter 4***

**(Bartholemeow) Howdy Y'all, hope I didn't take too long with this one. It sure feels long, at least for one of my chapters.**

**(D-bot) We do not own FFXV or Destiny; they are owned by Square Enix and Bungie, respectively.**

***Chapter staring in 5…4…3…2.1 Hope you enjoy.0***

* * *

**Trials and Tribulations**/ legendary pulse rifle.

**Description/**"Nothin' more deadly than the daily grind"- David Auburbrie

**Weapon perks/**_** Rampage, kill clip, firmly planted**_

**Lore/** **audio log 2641S, subfolder /**_**scrap**_**/**

**S:** The date is Monday, June 6th, I honestly don't know what year. We're standing at the precipice of a Vex Pillar, ready to explore another dozen or so Mind-bending realities.

**D:** Noire, really?

**S:** Cowboy, really? Now let me tell my story. Now-

**D:** Why start your account outside the new reality instead of right in the middle?

**S:** And ignore the Setup? Please, I'm not some dumb shmoe writer like Brother Vance!

**D:** I didn't say you were as bad as that dang Fanatic, I'm just curious as to why you're starting there unless you really want to get into detail about good Ol' Oz the overgrown lampshade and his reasons for doing what he would, otherwise, normally do.

***Synthetic laughter followed by a crude[redacted by user /**_**Sagira**_**/]***

**S:** You just don't have a taste for fine literature.

**D:** I'm a gun-freak who has a taste for Tex-Mex, a love of Country Music, Plays Games on weekends, and all-around a straight-up Hunter. I'm not exactly a bookworm.

**S:** Says the guy who once wrote a twenty-two-page report in under two hours and only three spelling errors.

**D: **I was in a rush, sue me.

***sigh***

**S:** end recording.

* * *

It was mid-day at Meldacio Hunter HQ as Dave pulled in. The Headquarters of the Hunters lay on either side of the road, in a small natural tunnel. Sun poured through openings in the rocky ceiling of the passageway. Hunters could be seen having lunch or discussing with the tipster of new hunts, on the porch of one of the buildings an elderly woman rocked back and forth in her chair, with bones and shells piled around in various locations around the cavern.

It was clear to Dodge that this was the home of the hunters, not just because it was canonically the home, but it felt like it too. Plus, it looked just like it had in the game, only with better resolution.

'_And here I thought this world's hunters were different than ours, apparently not so much.'_ Sagira quipped.

Pulling in next to the gas pumps, both Dave and Dodge hopped out.

'So, this is the place. You think they ever get sick of falling rocks?' Dodge asked Sagira.

"Let me head in and grab something, I'll be right back," Dave called from across the hood over to Dodge, who was standing and staring at his surroundings. "Feel free to grab something to eat over at those tables. Best damn food north of Lastallum."

Dodge didn't reply as he was marveling at the unique look of Meldacio. Dave, just chuckled at the young man ignoring him then turned around and headed up the steps.

'_Dave told us to go grab a bite to eat, I know we don't need to eat, but we do need to keep up appearances...are you listening?_' Sagira asked, slightly amused.

"Yeah-yeah," Dodge replied distractedly as he kept staring at everything.

'_Wow, I've never seen you turn your head like this before...are you seriously fanboying?_' Sagira teased, which earned an annoyed eye-roll.

'you just have to read my feelings, don't you?' Dodge thought bitterly.

_'Well, it's not like its particularly hard to do_.' Sagira chuckled inside his head much to his chagrin.

Dodge found himself staring over at a shooting range, where a group of Hunters were testing their guns on bottles; and missing.

Dodge was tempted to go over there and instruct them on how it's done. 'Then again,' he thought,' I haven't used any of their guns before. Maybe the barrels aren't manufactured adequately.'

'_Please don't geek out about guns right now. I think Dave will be getting back soon.'_

If Dodge could've turned to Sagira right then, he would raise an eyebrow at her. She was phased into his light so that she wouldn't be seen by anybody he didn't want to know about her.

'_Dave left earlier; he said he'd be right back. Which, I told you earlier if you had been paying attention._'

'And what does, I geeking out about guns internally have anything to do with him coming back.' Dodge turned his gaze over to the window of the store behind him—before quickly turning away, mouth hanging slightly open.

'Did-did I just see that?'

_'yep.'_ Sagira chirped.

'I don't think he will be here for a couple of minutes. Hopefully not an hour.' Dodge thought as looked over in the direction of the white tables.

Forty-five minutes later, Dodge was sitting enjoying a meal at one of the tables while he discussed things with Sagira and watched as people walked by. Some of them carried massive swords that looked almost as tall as they were, others carried daggers, some even carried pistols at their hip. What each Hunter brought as a weapon clearly spoke to their strengths and weaknesses.

As he was sitting there watching people, he almost didn't notice Dave walk up and pull out a chair next to him till he spoke up to the server.

"I'll have a slice of Meat Pie, and an Iced Tea thank you." a southern accented voice spoke from behind Dodge.

Turning his head to the side, Dodge took in the appearance of the famous Hunter and the fact that he had changed clothes.

_'have a nice "chat" with your girlfriend?' _Sagira bitterly said in Dodges head.

"'be right back,' huh? Got a free discount or something?" Doge asked sarcastically only to get a glare from the man across from him.

"That's an interesting way you have to thank someone for the ride over. I guess I'll hang on to this offer of a tier two hunting license and 12,000 Gil." Dave said, sitting back in his seat and putting something in his pocket.

Dodge Immediately knew then he messed up if the look on his face was anything to go by.

'_You can be a jerk; you know that, right?'_ Sagira spoke up in Dodges head.

"Alright, alright. I'm sorry. "Dodge sighed as he adopted his most apologetic look. "what do I have to do?"

Dave leaned back in his chair and took out a piece of paper and placed it on the table; then he pushed it towards Dodge. "Just a simple clearing out of critters, no big deal."

Flipping the slip over Dodge nearly gasped as he stared down at the piece of paper.

**The Myrlwood**

**clear out the Treant at heart off the forest.**

**Reward: 12,000 Gil**

_and a tier two Hunting license-Dave_

'Myrlwood, if I remember correctly, it's next to the lake... through the tunnel behind us.' Dodge

thought as he read the note.

'_Who came up with that name anyway? Myrl-wood, sounds like the name of a famous actress or something.' _Sagira joked '_Anyways, is it possible that it's somewhere else?'_

'I'll ask anyway, seeing as I may be thinking of something different.'

"Myrlwood, where is that?" Dodge asked, looking up from the slip of paper.

Dave pointed at the tunnel entrance down at the end of the street.

"Down the road a-ways, It's a forested area, home to some of the tougher woodland critters out there. It should be a good trial hunt for you." Dave explained to Dodge.

'Think we can handle a dungeon? This seems like a little bit above a new Hunters paygrade, what's he up to.'

'_Could be worse, could be falling from a rocket in space to prove you have the agility of a Hunter_.' Sagira oddly specified, earning a slight wince from Dodge.

"I'll take that as a yes," Dave said, looking at the expression Dodges face.

Faced with the chance of him earning a hunting license, there really was only one good option for Dodge to choose.

"Well, how could I refuse?" Doge said with a shrug of his shoulders, pushing aside any doubts he had.

Three hours later, Dodge regretted his decision.

* * *

'Wasps, it had to be giant freakin' WASPS' Dodge yelled into his head as he dodged an aerial attack from a ghastly large yellow wasp-like creature, tagged as a 'Killer-Wasp.'

The only way the name of the foul creature could have been more obvious was if there was a large Neon sign warning tourists of the dangers of Giant Killer Wasps, and to look out for sightings of the rare and illusive Cactuar.

'Well, to be fair there were Giant chickens back down the trail.' Sagira pointed out, while Dodge rolled his eyes and aimed his hand cannon at the advancing swarm of Wasps.

Taking a few breaths to steady himself, Dodge shot two rapid bursts of bullets. *Brang-Braaanng* The trio of 'Killer-Wasps' disintegrated into blue shimmers of glimmer as they were stored in his inventory.

Dodge sighed as he holstered his hand cannon. "I do not look forward to the next time I meet one of those things. I do not look forward one cotton 'pickin' bit."

Sagira fizzled into existence next to him, processing what just happened.

_"Giant frogs, Giant rhinos, Giant chickens, Now Giant Wasps; Whats next, Giant spiders?"_ Upon hearing Giant spiders, Dodge visibly shuddered.

"Yes, sadly." He said, looking down slightly and mutter ing to himself, "I miss Texas."

Sagira's shell spiraled somewhat at the news of such a creature, completely ignorant of Dodge's last comment.

"_Wow, that must mean either, they have a crazy rate of evolution on this planet, or the Gods of this universe are just Giant A-*blip*."_ She paused, ignoring her unintentional pun, to consider her observations and what she already knew of the world of Eos. "_Both of which are probably true."_

Focusing back on reality, Sagira noticed that Dodge had begun walking down the hill they were on, and towards Myrlwood. Quickly she phased out of existence and reentered Dodges light.

'_Were you even listening to me? Look I know-_'

'The suns getting pretty low in the sky if we want to get to camp by sundown, I don't know about you, but fighting a giant walking tree at night is not exactly my cup of tea. We should hurry if you we want to make camp by sundown.'

'_Osiris once fought a Vex that looked like a walking tree. We think it was one of the first vex to have ever-I've told you this before havent I?' _Sagira paused.

Dodge nodded, while he turned around a corner made up of mossy boulders and reached a wooded path leading up to a rocky entrance to the Dungeon. 'yep, that's the place.'

'_Doesn't look much like a Dungeon, you sure the directions were correct?'_

Dodge only sighed as he made his way over to get a closer look at what lay ahead. 'It's a fantasy Dungeon, not exactly a traditional video game dungeon.' Dodge only paused a moment before moving on.

Walking through the entrance, Dodge was met with a couple of 'Mushussu' blocking the narrow path before him. Mushussu were long green reptilian creatures that reminded Dodge of an ear parasite he had once seen on the internet. Seeing him; the scaly green creatures charged while baring their fangs.

Dodge opened up his palm, void light coursing through his arm as a purple sphere formed in his hand. Tossing it in front of him, a wall of purple fire exploded in front of him. The Mushussu could only skid sideways before the purple inferno consumed them.

However, those creatures were not the thing Dodge was most worried about.

'Do we still have a tail?'

Sagira calculated for a second before responding, '_26 yards away, Climbing up the rocks. He did not notice that.'_

'If he catches up, he will eventually see my abilities. I'm not sure if I want, whoever it is tailings us to know about it.' Dodge thought soberly, before moving on down the path.

_'Well, it's not like we've been particularly good at hiding it. Much less lying._' Sagira replied casually, to which Dodge reluctantly agreed.

Coming to an open area, Dodge was greeted by the more 'Mushussu' and something called a 'Mandrake,' which was something like a large gorilla that was made out of a tree sapling, with a nice flower bow on top.

Unholstering his hand cannon, Dodge rolled to the side before unloading his bullets into his enemies *Brang-Vrang-Brang*, killing all three Mushussu, and knocking the health down to half, for the Mandrake. The Mandrake charged at him, but Dodge sidestepped him and stabbed him in the back. The Bodies all turning into blue glimmer in a matter of seconds.

"Funny, I remember these encounters being harder," Dodge spoke aloud deliberately.

Glancing through the left corner of his visor, he could barely make out the shadow of a figure on a ledge, watching his fight. He'd been there the whole time.

'_We must have given him quite the light show; anyways, I managed to save the little flower that was on that mandrakes head.'_ Sagira chirped.

'Why?' to which Sagira only chuckled, the antics of Dodges ghost, he would never truly understand.

Eventually, after hours of cutting through underbrush and monsters alike, Dodge found himself fighting through to the edge of a small pond. The sun was getting really low in the sky and was making a waterfall glitter with the pond below it turning orange.

Off to the side, was an area with strange glowing blue marks and what appeared to be embers, with smoke rising out in a thin wispy vapor that went straight up into the sky. Towards the edge of the pond was a small fishing pier, like the one that Dodge had seen back at the forgotten lake.

Taking a closer look at the strange sight, Dodge slowly walked over and knelt next to one of the symbols, 'what is this?'

'_I could scan it for you if you'd like.'_ Sagira supplied.

"Is our tail still there?" Doges whispered to Sagira, as he ran his fingers over the glowing blue runes.

'_Yes, You can obscure me by staying crouched like that. If he attacks you, I should be able to revive you._' Sagira suggested pointedly.

'Alright, okay.' Dodge nodded as Sagira fizzled into existence in front of him.

Sagira scanned the runes below her, by shooting out a small ray of blue light, after a few seconds she turned up to look at dodges helmeted face.

_"I'm going to need to scan the whole place if you could distract the creep whos been following us, I could possibly be able to get away with it unnoticed,"_ Sagira informed Dodge.

"How do you suggest I do that?" Dodge muttered sarcastically.

Turner her shell, Sagira motioned towards the pond, specifically at the fishing pier.

_"Fish for their attention. The old fashioned way."_ If Sagira could smirk, she would right then and there.

Grunting in approval, Dodge stood up and walked to a spot a couple of yards away from the beginning of the small fishing pier. Squatting in a runners position dodge muttered to himself as he stared at the pond before him, "Thank God, this suit is waterproof and self-healing."

With a sudden start, he dashed forward towards the pier. Glancing to his left, Dodge confirmed that Sagira was busy scanning the Runes surrounding the campsite. With a leap into the air, Dodge curved in an uneven arc into the pond with a loud *SPLASH*.

Whipping out his knife, Dodge sliced the water ahead of him quickly, it wasn't long before blood covered his vision, reaching out he caught the body of a fish, swimming back to the surface, Dodge looked over to see Sagira was finished and was hovering behind a small rock.

Dragging the fish out, Dodge noted how big it was. 'This would easily pass for the largest fish I've ever caught if I did it normally.'

Slowly, dodged walked over to the rock Sagira was hiding behind and sat down on it. She quickly fizzled back into his light after a few seconds.

'What's the situation with the glowing blue rocks? Any relation to glimmer?' Dodge humorously asked.

'_Well, it appears that the runes are emitting background a certain frequency of background radiation, why though, I do not know. Also, It appears that the embers are being kept burning at 250 degrees by some smaller rune underneath them.'_ Sagira explained, '_My best guess is that this is some sort of protection that was created by early scientists to protect wary travelers.'_

Dodge nodded along, listening very carefully to what she was saying, glancing around for any signs of the person who was following them.

_'I think we should rest here tonight, and fight the Treant tomorrow morning, or fight it tonight. Either way, we should be able to cook that fish with the embers, and maybe a little glimmer to fuel it.'_

Dodge nodded his head before getting up and kneeling next to the embers and lying the fish neatly next to it. Summoning a few glimmer cubes, he placed them in the embers to fuel the fire. Turning to the fish, he began skinning and dressing it for cooking. Summoning a cast iron plate, Dodge placed the fish in it, then placed it against the small fire that had started.

As he cooked, he considered what Sagira had told him and weighed the pros, and cons of each decision, once he was done, he came to his decision.

Walking over to the edge of the pond, Dodge knelt down and washed his gloves in the water. Standing back up, he shook his hands to rid them of water.

'We kill the Treant tonight.' Dodge thought seriously.

'_Okay, do you want the rocket launcher?_' Sagira asked, simulating the scenarios that could occur to him in her CPU.

'Sure, Solar should prove useful in defeating a giant walking tree.' Dodge said agreeing. On his back, the Grenade launcher was replaced by a long-barreled rocket launcher. In his head, he subtly prepared for his attack plan, drawing on his past experiences.

_'Good luck, partner.'_

Walking around the corner, Dodge walked down a stretch of the path and onto an overlook of a small hidden basin, large trees grew everywhere. Glancing upwards, he spotted the Treant resting on one of the larger branches. Towards the back, he spotted an ovular white tomb emblazoned with regal decoration.

Reaching behind, Dodge grasped onto the rocket launcher and settled it into his arms. Aiming at the sleeping Treant, Dodge slowed his breathing be careful to avoid hitting any branches. The sky grew darker, making it harder for him to see his target.

*Proom-whoosh-boom*

The Rocket hit its mark; The Treant was knocked out of his perch and fell onto another branch. Only to roll over and fall to the ground in a heap. Pushing itself up with its legs, it bellowed out "RAAAAUURR!" only to be caught in the side again with another rocket.

Dodge had reloaded his weapon quickly, firing once he heard the beast roar. By then the Treants yellow health bar was at halfway, quickly reloading Dodge could only roll to the side as the Treant swiped at him with its tail. Quickly aiming again, he fired, only to hit the rocky cliffside behind the giant walking tree.

Sighing, he put away his Rocket Launcher, and switched to his auto rifle, before double jumping away from an attack by the Treant. Standing at the edge of the overlook, Dodge unloaded his magazine into the creature, knocking it down to a third of its health. However, since he was aiming down sights, he didn't have enough time to dodge the swipe of the Treants Tail.

Dodge was knocked off his feet, and into the tree just next to the overlook. Sliding down to the ground, Dodge saw his shield was in the red as the corners of his vision flashed red.

"Only a little more health to go," Dodge spoke to himself warily, Void energy coursed through his right hand as a small purple orb formed in his palm.

*poof* He disappeared from his spot at the bottom of the tall tree.

The Treant peered over the edge, looking to see if its attacker was dead. To its surprise, the dead thing was nowhere to bee seen. Curiously it leaned forward to see if it was at the bottom of the cliff. It wasn't. Sitting back on its haunches, the Treant took this as a small victory; this thing must have run away. Or it disassembled itself like the dark things did when they intruded on his territory. Yeah, that must be it. There was no other explanation.

"You really think it's that easy to kill me?" a voice spoke up behind it, though the Treant could not understand. Turning on its haunches, it saw the dead thing it had killed, coated in a dark purple aura standing ready.

Dodge let the void energy engulf his senses as he leaped straight into the air, bow, and arrow forming in his hands, He released the dark purple arrow almost instantly. It pierced through the Treant's head, killing it, and forming a void bubble that sucked the darkness in.

The body of the Treant was slowly dissolved in purple light.

Whooping triumphantly at his victory, Dodge ignored the strange person who had been following him and began walking back to camp.

* * *

The figure stayed put in her spot for a couple of moments. The shock of what had just happened still in her thoughts, reaching into her pocket, she grasped her phone and dialed in a number. A couple of seconds later it picked up.

"Hey Dave, It's me. I think you might want to hear this." She spoke hurriedly.

* * *

**(Bartholemeow) Well, that was a long ride. Sorry about the pretty obvious cliff-hanger, I had already planned for him to do something after the last scene, but eventually went with putting that in the next chapter.**

**(D-Bot) The next chapter should be out soon; we can hope and pray.**

**(Bartholemeow) There is a bright side to this though; We are officially longer than the USS Juniper!**

**(D-Bot) How is that a good thing?**

**(Bartholemeow) Reasons! Anyways, big thank you to A.D. Williams for helping me out with editing this; she does excellent work on Final Fantasy fanfictions, in fact, you can find her in my favorite Authors list on my profile.**

**(Bartholemeow) As always have a great time and see you in the next chapter.**

***End Chapter 4***


	5. The best of all

***Chapter 4 started***

**^Date 1/22/2020^**

**(Bartholemeow) Alas, I have completed chapter 4, the much-awaited return of Dodge Hatchback and Sagira are here. It has been to long since I have written a fanfiction.**

**(D-bot) I don't think anyone is here.**

**(Bartholemeow) Well shoot. Oh well. Hope Y'all enjoy. I plan on releasing two chapters a month from now until life happens from now on.**

**(D-bot) We do not own FFXV or Destiny, they are owned by Square Enix and Bungie respectively.**

***Chapter staring in 5..4...3.2…1…0***

* * *

_**No Dear King / exotic sword**_

**Description**/_"An engine blade made of bones, huh. Ignis must know what this means." -Noctis Lucis Caelum_

**Weapon perks/**_**call of the voices, Sword Logic, razor edge**_

**Lore/** _Unkown Author_

_It is dusty down here, o wielder ours. Wield us in battle, let us drink from the blood of your enemies, let us devour their nutrients and consume their strength. For our existence is to struggle to be so._

_Use me as a bridge between your strength and theirs, use me as the vessel for your conquest, let me pierce the hearts of your followers, and stand tall before your foes; let me sharpen through war and bloodshed and let me not dull in peace and benevolence._

_Still not convinced?_

_You see, we are one, O' wielder mine. Your will and my will are shaped together till we meet for the final point. Our fates are inextricably bound._

_Do I control you, or do you command me? Are you a result of your actions, or are you a predetermined shape. Is your mind mine, or is my mind yours?_

_We must put aside such petty questions, don't you see? It's dusty down here._

_Together, we can become self-defining so that we can reach the final shape, o wielder mine._

* * *

The sun grazed over the Cleigne mountaintops, rushing into the valley that lay before it. Its light illuminating the foliage enclosed within and giving an atmosphere of splendid warmth. A tree fell gently off a branch and rustled its way onto the prone form of a guardian, his weapon aimed at a far off enemy.

_'Remind me again, why you took a detour to go analyze a giant green and rotten meatball?'_ Sagira playfully asked, floating next to him.

'Aside from my inborn need to hunt powerful enemies, you mean?' Dodge shot back rhetorically, 'this meatball, as it so happens, is very important to the plot of FFXV in a way no one can normally understand in this world.'

'_And hows that?'_ sounded a puzzled Sagira.

'It makes good target practice.' As if to prove his point, Dodge squeezed the trigger on his sniper rifle, and barely dented the overgrown Meatball's health. Causing it to go berserk trying to find what shot it, splashing violently at the lake surrounding it.

Sagira moved her chassis as if to speak, if not for Dodge placing an erect finger up to her eye.

'shhh, watch closely at its health,' Dodge asked her.

And she did, noticing its health regenerate ever so slowly: cascading into a tidal wave of health building back up to close to a hundred percent.

_'What? is that some sort of boss?' _Sagira asked flabergasted.

'Not here, but it is used as one for a tiny Dungeon in... Niflheim, I think. A little before they meet the giant sexy ice lady whose name rhymes with Siva.' Dodge squeezed the trigger again, managing to score a critical shot to one of the creature's many eyeballs. The Meatball went into a tirade and began thrashing around enough to almost hit another one of its kind.

'_Do you really have to be that specific Dodge?' _Sagira visibly rolled her eye at that. _'It makes you sound just as bad as Cayde.'_

'If it's for sidesplittingly hilarious comedic effect? Yes, yes, I will.'

_'It still amazes me you aren't more sociable.'_ Sagira snarked, imitating a worn-out mother, _'You've certainly got the ego for it.'_

'Oh, hush, not like you don't have an ego yourself.' Dodge shot the Meatball again, this time managing to knock it back enough, so its thrashing hit another meatball. The two soon began to fight each other in what could arguably be described as a mess of slimy green tentacles and slabs of sticky green meat sliding against each other in a manner, not unlike that of a diseased scrotum.

_'Did I ever mention you have a lousy sense of humor? Cause you do.' _Sagira argued, ignoring the fighting meatballs.

'Really? Cause the only person who hasn't laughed at my jokes is you. 'Dodge shot back light-heartedly as he rolled over onto his back behind a nearby tree to hide from a passing seadevil.

_'Soldiers under your command don't count.' _Sagira shot back._' Besides, that doesn't mean I don't find you entertaining.'_

'Oh really, don't my friends count?' Dodge retaliated, enjoying their playful argument.

_'nope. too biased.'_

"I'm not going to win this, am I?" Dodge sighed exaggeratedly.

_"Nope. five a clock, by the way."_ Sagira informed him before fizzling out.

"What? It cant be more than-" Dodge was caught off guard when a long mouthed crocodile-like creature grabbed ahold of his arm and dragged him away towards the swamp with other animals like it.

"DANG IT SAGIRA!"

_'Sorry, not sorry. do be careful, though.'_

As the sun settled in the middle of the sky over Meldacio, a lonesome figure emerged out of the passageway his mind somewhere else, as he lazily strolled forwards. His attention was soon drawn out, however, by the sound of gunshots from a nearby shooting range where two men stood talking, while one pointed a gun at some bottles downrange.

"I don't know, man, this gun sucks. I can't hit a damn thing with this, it must be broken." Glared the first figure, he was short, brown-haired, and had an attitude."Perhaps I should use swords just like everyone else."

"I'm telling you its the latest batch of Niflheim weaponry. It can easily handle any daemon, creature, or other foes you come across." Spoke calmly, the second man, who was tall, grey-haired with a well-worn outfit. "I bought this myself from all the way back in Altissia."

"Altissia, damn, this must be very expensive."

"Yep, a and I'm only selling it for a fraction of its real value, you should feel lucky." The grey-haired man pitched with a sharp grin.

"How much is it?"

"Only five thousand cols."

"Well, I know I wouldn't go buy that for anything more than a hundred dollars," Dodge interjected himself into the conversation. The two men turned to him, startled by his interference. The short man soon adopted a quizzical look while the grey-haired man glared suspiciously at the newcomer. "Not that you would accept US currency in the first place."

"What is US currency?" The brown-haired individual asked quietly.

"And what do you know about this gun? I'm the one whos selling it." The grey-haired man spat defensively.

"Well, it doesn't look very usable; the barrels warped from lengthy use and which is only further hindered by the fact it uses iron sights to aim." Dodge rambled on until he saw the looks the man was giving him. " look, I know a thing or two about guns, alright?"

The brown-haired man thought to himself for a few seconds before answering. "I think he's right, that gun doesn't aim properly when I fire it, so I'm going to go with him on this."

He turned to leave, but not before looking over his shoulder at the guardian, "By the way, my names Jerry": And left.

After Jerry was out of earshot, The grey-haired man strode up to Dodge meeting him face to face. "You have guts, I'll give you that, but do me a favor, will you? Stay away from my clientele. It's bad for my business and yours." And with that, he shoved past the hunter, and towards a black van parked nearby, leaving the guardian alone at the shooting range.

***Grimoire card unlocked-Civil war II summarized-CH1***

'Well, that could have gone better.' Dodge thought to himself.

"There ya are!" a familiar voice called out to him, turning around, he spotted Dave walking over to him.

"Where have you been, ya killed the Treant last night if I remember correctly, what took you so long getting back, it's almost-" Dave paused to look down at the time, "-three-thirty, The park is only a three-hour hike, what took you so long?"

"Target practice," Dodge evasively answered, gesturing to the sniper rifle on his back.

_'well, that and an overgrown crocodile. Is it just me, or is this world just begging for giant ants?'_ Sagira joked internally.

"Where did you get that? Oh, nevermind, come on. You need to speak with Ezma," Dave then spun on his heel and gestured for Dodge to follow him over to the other side of Meldacio.

Dave led Dodge to the porch of one of the Headquarters where an elderly woman in a beige poncho rocked back and forth on her rocking chair. To the right of her, a grey ham radio sat on a round table next to her.

"This is my mother; and the leader of the Hunters. Ezma Auburnbrie." Dave introduced his mother as they made their way up the steps to meet her.

The woman in question paused in the cathartic rocking of her chair; and gazed with passive interest at the newcomers. Her eyes taking in the newcomer's strange and foreign appearance with a gleam of nostalgia.

'_She seems a little old for a leader of a paramilitary organization._' Sagira observed. _'Guess she's as stubborn as Saint-14 was.'_

'heck if I know, I stopped playing the game before the guardian saved him.' Dodge replied, observing Ezma faintly through his visor.

"Morning, son, who is it you've brought with you?" Ezma pushed up her glasses in a way and, in a tone that told she knew why he was there.

Dodge waited a few seconds, glancing at Dave before introducing himself. "I'm Dodge Hatchback, a-" Dodge tilted his head as he thought of the right word to describe his position, " an 'applicant' for becoming a hunter, I guess."

_'sounds weird, doesn't it? Imagine being a warlock and ending up in a world that uses magic, elder scrolls, Harry potter, Elysium, etc. And having to introduce yourself like that. Just. ._' Sagira rambled to a very uncomfortable Dodge.

While Sagira was rambling, Dave turned to the woman and greeted Dodge, "This is the guy I was talking about, spandex, armor and all."

"Hey, it's not spandex, this is a thinly woven string of bio-" at receiving sidelined glares, Dodge decided to back off.

_'Face it, its just bulletproof spandex.' _Sagira stated matter of factly earning an annoyed internal *sigh*.

"Ah. You're the one who faced the treant residing at the tomb of the Rogue," Ezma reasoned, looking to the foreign man in front of her and Dave. I must say you handled it very quickly, most Hunters would have taken longer, or even perished."

Dodge grinned while he nodded to the leader of the hunters, a look of small pride on his face. The memories of his fight yesterday replaying in his head.

"You disintegrated it and everything that lay before you and displayed unforeseen powers of illusion. Why?" Ezma nocked his grin off his face with her sternly interrogative words.

"It's how my weapons work. It disintegrates all-" Dodge attempted to explain before he was cut off by the elderly leader.

"I mean, why? Why disintegrate an opponent when it is already dead? Why keep these powers to yourself? Why leave Niflheim?" At this, Ezma stood up from her chair, almost glaring at the man before her.

For the hunters, the sight of their aging leader standing up from her chair to face the newcomer, brought a lot of looks; For Dodge, however, her standing up while she accused him of being from a currently occupying force of the region, caused him a bit of anxiety. He could understand where she was coming from though, after all, Niflheim was the most accomplished in terms of science and engineering between it and Lucis.

"Ma'am, I'm not from Niflheim, I'm from a place you will never believe. I did not really see the need, or have the chance, to show you or anyone else my 'powers.' Please sit down, you're causing us to get a lot of looks " Dodge paused to take his breath and observed his surroundings, the fact was they were drawing a crowd either way.

Dave urged his mother down as he looked at Dodge with a look of 'You deserve some respect for what you've done.'

Taking in another breath, Dodge continued, " Besides, disintegrating is just how my weapons work. And I highly doubt you're missing much from the dead bodies of mutated plants."

_'Nice speech.'_ Sagira applauded sarcastically in his head. '_Do you think I should de-sync to explain things?'_

"How does that work? Magic or some weird science thing," Dave spoke up curiously.

"If you get into the Knitty gritty, both I suppose, "Dodge chuckled as he explained with a shrug.

"For instance, despite it being almost impossible based on the old design for thermal dynamics, this-" Dodge held out of his palm and summoned a cube of glimmer, the impromptu light show earning a few 'oohs' and 'awws' from the steadily growing audience around them.

"Magic, my young man? How on Eos did you-!" exclaimed Ezma, her eyes widening behind her glasses.

"It's not really magic," Dodge explained calmly as he used his empty glove hand to motion for her to calm down.

"Then, what is that?" Dave pointed as he leaned back slightly.

"It's a sort of programmable matter that can be used for a variety of different ways, including crafting better weapons and armor," Dodge stated with a small hint of pride in his voice. 'nailed it.'

"what are you some sort of tech wizard?" the grizzled hunter asked, slightly baffled.

"_We prefer the term Guardian_." Sagira spoke up, appearing out of nowhere in a fizzle of tiny blued sparks, "_Though tech wizard has a nice ring to it_."

"Sounds a bit Warlock-y to me." Dodge quipped at Sagira.

"Well, I did babysit the most 'famous Warlock of all time and space' for a while or so," Sagira replied, earning a snort from Dodge. "So, I think it should work."

A few of the members in the crowd audibly gasped at the sight of a floating bubble-like object that spoke with the strange man. Everyone remained silent for a few moments before Dave decided to be the voice of reason.

"How about we take this inside?" Dave pointed to the building behind him.

"That should do." Ezma agreed with her son. " Now, grab me my cane."

"Agreed"-"_Agreed,_" Dodge and Sagira voiced one right after the other.

Stepping inside, Dodge noted how cozy this little place was, on the walls hung family photos, and pictures of serene landscapes found on Eos. Scattered lightly around a coffee table were some chairs, a couch, and a recliner, and behind that, a hallway leading further inside.

Ezma sat down on a recliner, while Dave took to sitting across from him, leaning forward on his couch. Sagira decided to hover over the coffee table between the furniture. For a few quiet minutes, no-one spoke. Just waited on who would speak first. Internally, Dodge and Sagira discussed how they should approach this conversation, Dave tried to grasp how what he was seeing was possible, and Ezma just sat there patiently.

_"So who should speak first? You or me?"_ Sagira asked, looking at Dave and Ezma. "Cause I'm going to start rattling off nonsense if you don't ask me first."

The two Auburnbries shared a look before the youngest one decided to ask his question first.

"What are you?" Asked Dave curiously, turning back to Sagira.

"And who made you?" Ezma inquired, glancing towards the guardian.

_"Me? I'm a Ghost. More specifically, I'm Dodge's ghost."_ Sagira stated matter of factly, _"And he is a Guardian, one of the Travelers chosen," _Sagira paused, adjusting her shell slightly, _"I think."_

"Ya think? What is this Traveller? And what do you mean, your Dodge's ghost?" Dave Interrogated the shell. His mother, on the other hand, picked up on something else.

"Chosen? Does that mean you have a Destiny young man?" The kind old lady inquired politely.

Dodge sat back into the couch and chuckled aloud to the rest of the room.

"Something funny, Hatchback?" Dave aggressively asked, causing Dodge to sit up straight and raise his hands in defense.

"No- well, yes, but it's not what you think." Dodge defensively answered, " It's just she doesn't know how far on the mark she is, and how far off the intent of her question was."

"Well, let's hear it then, what is your Destiny?" Ezma asked gently.

"I don't have one. But the world I got these powers from, is called Destiny in mine." Dodge paused, noticing the puzzled expressions on their faces. 'Sagira, a little help would be nice.'

"_I think you explained it just fine, Dodge,"_ Sagira began facetiously, _" no doubt in my central processing that you have thoroughly explained in detail, the fact that you and I are from separate universes. And somehow found our way into this one on the back of a high-velocity grenade launch."_

Turning back to their hosts, Sagira politely elaborated, _" Dodge and I have spent the last three years working together on a planet called Earth, where they have a video game called Destiny: where you play as a guardian from where I'm from."_

"Don't ask how she came to my world and how we ended up partnering up, Its a long, drawn-out story." Dodge sighed, leaning back into the couch again. "Much like this one come to think of it."

"So what your saying is, you are a genuine alien, " Dave asked unbelievably. Ezma, on the other hand, tilted her head at the mention of 'alien.'

"Well, that's one way of putting it. I'm still human, though, but I'm pretty sure we have different DNA." Dodge frankly explained.

"DNA?" Dave asked before pausing, " no, wait, nevermind, I've heard of it before. Still, your from another planet? How'd you get here?"

Dodge sighed and shook his helmeted head slightly, "Don't know, one day we're fighting New-U rocketeers in the woods, the next we're in a pond outside of Cauthess rest area.

_"And it doesn't help that we probably didn't end up in this universe, the way I ended up in his."_ Sagira followed up.

"How did you end up in his then?" Dave asked only to earn a groan from Dodge.

"What did I just tell you? It's a long, drawn-out story. And not one I'm particularly fond of retelling either."Dodge huffed into his hands and lent onto his knees. 'Still debating on what's worse about it, how I became a guardian or how I became a soldier.'

_'Well, I thought it would be the soldier part, but that's probably biased coming from me,'_ Sagira answered in his head before reassuring him. _'Still, both events did suck for you: In a way.'_

"Well then, what is a Guardian, and what does this 'traveler' have to do with it?" Ezma reasoned, only for Dodge to collapse into the couch.

'I'm beginning to understand why the guardian doesn't talk much. Sagira, can you answer their questions, please?'

"_Fine, but you owe me. Here we go, cause this is going take a long time to explain, so where do I begin?"_ Sagira pondered for a moment, _"Ah, that should do it. well, I guess it all started with why it's called the traveler in the first place."_

The sounds of Dodge's slumbering were the only marks of protest that night as Sagira regaled to Dave and Ezma of the wonders of her home. She amazed them with the tales of Valor of Osiris, Saint-14, Lord Saladin, and many other guardians. Ezma became enraptured when Sagira began to delve deep into the mystique of the source of a Guardian's power, the light. Dave eagerly listened when she explained the collapse and the rebuilding of Humanity, and of how the guardians were divided into, the towering Titans, the inquisitive Warlocks, and the fearless Hunters of which Dodge was one of.

"An what of Dodge's Guns?" Dave finally asked, taking a sip of some tea had prepared while Sagira was explaining the construction of the Last City.

At the mention of 'guns,' the sleeping form of Dodge sprung up, startling the two hosts. "Guns? I thought you'd never ask."

_"One day, we will meet Banshee-42, and I think I might be able to take a month-long vacation before you two would finish talking._" Sagira deadpanned while she turned around to face him, _"And about time you woke up too, Dave here just asked about your 'magic' guns."_

When he heard 'Magic' Dodge tensed, "Look, they're not magic, just based off of designs from Sagira's data storage. They utilize glimmer extractors and nanites to deconstruct enemies to form glimmer."

"It alright, young man, from what your ghost has taught me today, I've learned to realize that you don't possess magic but are akin to it," Ezma reassured Dodge.

Dave yawned and looked at the time, "Look, it's getting late, I gotta get some rest tonight, I've got a trip to make to Hammerhead tomorrow, and you know how cranky Cid gets when we're late." Dave explained to his mother before he got up and made to go into the hallway, "Oh, and by the way, Dodge, I think you've earned that Hunting License." Stoping, Dave pulled out of his pocket a slip of paper and placed it on the coffee table along with a check for twelve thousand Gil.

"Good night y'all," Dave said before heading to bed, Leaving the rest to themselves. Sagira derezzed the slips of paper and floated over to Dodge's shoulder as he got up to go as well.

"Young man, before you go, I have a proposition for you." Ezma grabbed Dodge's arm, " Please sit back down."

Dodge did as she asked and sat back down, facing her.

"You have clearly been summoned here by fate." Dodge moved to interrupt her, but she held up her hand to silence him,

"Look, I know it may not seem that way to you, but I believe you have been placed here for a higher purpose, what that purpose is, I cannot say." Ezma conceded before moving on, "But I do know this. You are capable of extraordinary things and have been gifted a power like no other person here. I hope you follow the road these other guardian's Sagira has mentioned, led: and aid whoever you can."

Dodge nodded before answering, "I can, but I'm only one man, the best I can do is hold the daemons at bay."

"Perhaps, your powers are not the only reason you were brought here? Maybe you have a gift that most guardians lack, or a skill most ignore."

Dodge stayed silent before derezzing his helmet to reveal his face underneath. He chuckled, "And what would that be?"

"_Guns,"_ Sagira spoke up.

When the tow turned to her, she elaborated, "Your good at making guns, using them, and fixing them. You could train hunters in the day to use them while forging them at night."

Ezma smiled gently and sat back in her recliner, " The Ghost is right, you can forge me guns and train my hunters to use them."

Dodge remained silent for a few seconds before he asked, "What's in it for me if I do this? Do I get paid for every gun I produce, and every hour I train them?"

For awhile, Ezma sat in her recliner as she mulled it over, "Yes, Yes, I believe we can accommodate that."

"Then it's settled, give me a place to work, and I'll start working tonight. We can debate the price tomorrow." Dodge reached out to shake her hand; warily, she lifted her hand and shook his.

"There are some old Niffleheim weapons used when they took over Duscaue in the shed, and there is a workbench beside the shop. here's the key." Ezma pulled out a small ovular key and placed it in Dodge's outstretched palm.

As he turned to leave, he felt her hand grab his shoulder.

"Good night, Guardian."

**(Bartholemeow) And good night y'all. At least when I'm writing this. Hope to see ya next time, peace.**

**(D-bot) Bartholemeow would also like to acknowledge that no matter what he ay, he I under no financial obligation to uphold any promises. To do so would 'Suck the fun out of it.'**

***Chapter 4 end. ***


	6. Building Bridges

***Bartholemeow has joined the chat ***

**(Bartholemeow) This one is pretty long, and Dialogue heavy, I recommend grabbing a cup of coffee, because this one's a doozy.**

**(D-Bot) We do not own FFXV and Destiny, they are under the vigilant watch of Square Enix and Bungie.**

**(Bartholemeow) Getting poetic, are we?**

***Chapter 5 commencing in 5. 4…3…2… .0***

* * *

**Desperate Minds/ legendary sniper rifle**

**Description/**"Don't_ say that... Hope is all some of us have." -Nazeem_

**Weapon perks/** _**Marksman sights, lightning rod, precision frame**_

**Lore/**

_\- from the miscellaneous vex archives of the Ishtar Collective._

_(Transcription of an audio file found in the memory of a machine core, origin unknown.)_

_{sounds of paper rustling}_

_unknown 1(translated)- "Are we sure this will work?"_

_unknown 2 (translated)- "It has to; otherwise, the gods will get way with this."_

_unknown 1- "How long will this take?"_

_unknown 2- "Not long, I just need to transfer some of Phalangeal' (s) program into its primary processor."_

_(unknown two must have shown something to unknown one here.)_

_Unknown 1-"It is humming with her power...Is-is that alive!?"_

_(Implied sign of agreement here)_

_"And how do you think it will survive the plaque if it's part organic?"_

_Unknown 2- "It will feed off the biomass of the plague before the plague infects it."_

_unknown 1- "An what if it doesn't?"_

_unknown 2- "Then lets hope we aren't around to see it."_

**(Notes: Vague wording about some sort of computer system that is powered or processed by a biological substance.**

**Hypothesis/ An early form of the vex? And if so, what are the 'gods' that it speaks of?)**

**. . .found.**

* * *

_"So that's it, huh? We're arms manufacturers for a paramilitary group now?"_

The Moon illuminated Dodge's workspace, its pale light gleaming off his armor. He leaned himself over a red and black weapon, adjusting bits and pieces of it. He nodded along with Sagira, distracting his meticulous mind with his work.

'_We need a plan,'_ Sagira's voice echoed in his head. '_how much time do we have?'_

'Noctis was twenty or so in the game; I suggest checking how old he is now.' Dodge answered, which seemed to satisfy her search.

For a silent few moments, the only thing going through Dodge's mind was the gun in front of him, mentally taking it apart and putting it back together.

"Got it, Noctis Lucis Caelum turned sixteen a few weeks ago." Sagira paused, waiting for Dodge to respond. What she got was a distracted gunsmith looking through a circular piece from a scope. Seeing he was distracted, sagira floated over to his ear.

"Five years," Sagira spoke into his ear, startling him. "Five years, Dodge. Do you know what happens in five years? Everything. We need. a. plan."

Dodge sighed out loud before turning to his workbench, staring at the gun before him.

"Dodge, this isn't going to go away. We need to act before it's too late. How many innocent people will die." Sagira edged closer to his face, staring into his eyes with her eye.

Dodge remained silent before looking down at his boots. "what can I do against a vast empire? What can I do against treacherous gods? What can I do against a world that has nothing to do with me?"

_"I asked myself the same question when I first found myself on your earth, and you know what pulled me through?"_ Sagira backed away, her blue iris narrowing, _"The phrase, 'Guardians make their own fate.'"_

Dodge took a deep breath, "Alright, where do we start?"

"How about expanding your profits?" Sagira posed.

"I'm all ears."

* * *

The Mid-day sun beat down on the rusted metal and freshly painted billboard. It rested between two converging roads and looked to be recently disturbed. On it read two Advertisements, the first and well worn blue one, promoted Exineris, the leading power supplier for most if not all of the Cleigne region. The second, on a white background with the outline of a broken sphere behind it, read:

**DESTINY TECH**

_**"Hope for the future."**_

A car slowly drifted along the road going past it, Its radio blasting away a fascinating news story. "_Founder and CEO of Destiny Technologies, Dodge Hatchback has been sited yet again, en-route to his workshop in Causcherry plains: An abandoned Niffleheim facility. Attempts to interview him about his new Daemon repelling headlights and whether or not he stole them remain to be seen."_

The driver of the car, a grey-haired man, tisked and turned off his radio. His car soon zoomed down the road at an incredible speed, swerving around the bend and out of view.

The reflection of the meteor glinted off of Sagiras' eye as she floated on top of the wall surrounding her guardian's shop, her electronic retina gleaming over the miraculous view, one that almost reminded her of the traveler before the last city got built. She stopped viewing when she spotted a truck driving up the road to the main gate. '

_'Dave,'_ She thought as she watched it slowly come to a halt before the gate.

Below her, she blinked as lights from cameras flashed.

_"I can't believe the nerve of those reporters,"_ Sagira muttered,_ "Better go welcome him in."_

Dave awkwardly drove his truck through the gate as off duty hunters held back the group of reporters. It was a strange and unusual thing to see for him, reporters were always a big city thing, which he rarely had to deal with until he visited lestallum or occasionally Altissia.

'I guess he's made it a bit safer for them, hasn't he?' Dave chuckled to himself.

Pulling in to the park, Dave spotted Sagira floating down to him from atop the wall. "Why hello there, Sagira!"

Sagira chuckled as she leveled herself up at the height of his shoulder. "And a hello to you too, Dave. What brings you here?" Sagira asked before following up with, "Don't tell me it's another order for headlight replacements."

"No, No, not that. Though I reckon' Cid is interested in getting his gloves on them," Dave joked, before his look turned serious, "I've gotta' see Dodge quickly."

'Dodge, its dave,' Sgaira mentally told Dodge.

'Tell him I'm with Jerry in the training yard, Ill meet with him in five minutes in the garage,' Dodge paused, 'and take the scenic route.'

"Dodge told me to meet him in his garage; he's busy with Lt. Jerry." Sagira relayed to Dave, "So he told me to take you along the scenic route."

"'Scenic' route, huh. Don't tell me were taking a stroll atop the wall," Dave jested only for sagira to pause briefly.

"well, not precisely 'on-top' of the wall, you'll see," Sagira replied, leading Dave to the left along a sectioned of corridor down to the eastern wall of the old fort.

Dave observed the crates as they passed, each filled with a variety of arms and armor for hunters. "Never one for organization, is he?"

Sagira chortled at that remark, "Not really. He prefers the shopkeeps to pick and choose how to display their armory."

Walking around a large stack of crates, Dave spotted a black and brown set of hunter gear resting atop a lone container. Taking a closer look, he saw familiar details engraved into the grasps and chest piece; Ones that matched the tattoos on his body.

"That mine?" questioned Dave, turning around to face Sagira, who had lagged and was now blinking amusedly at him.

"Maybe." Sagira didn't need a face to show she was smirking. "Wanna try it on?"

Dave thought for a minute, taking a long look at his gift before his face turned serious. "Maybe another time."

_"Wow, this must be important for you to pass up another one of Dodge's famous recipes._" Sagira spun her shell a few times before settling in a worried look that only a Ghost can pull. _"Let's get going."_

Dave nodded in agreement, and they set off without a word starting up some scaffolding along the eastern wall. For a while, neither spoke, before Dave decided to break the newly formed ice. "This place sure has come along away since three months ago, I knew Dodge needed space, but at this rate," Stopping at a landing with a good view of the equipment yard. I'm not even sure this will fit his work anymore."

The equipment yard was littered with machinery of all sorts. From what Dave could figure out, most of the big ones were for producing guns, armor, and other products. The black figures dotted around the place were workers and a few robots, all operating the machines.

_"Imagine, only six months ago, all we had to work with was a scrap shed and a workbench."_ Sagira praised, _"I bet even Ana Bray would be jealous. And she has that whole Clovis Bray thing going for her."_

Dave raised an eyebrow at the Sagira, "Who's she?"

"_Huh, I guess I skipped her. "_Sagira pondered for a second, _"Oh well. Shes no-one Important right now."_

Dave took one last look at the machines below him before moving back up the stairs. "We've got time before we get to the workshop. "

_"Oh, I guess the best way to start is that she is... a lot like Dodge._" Sagira began, "_Of course, she's a flamboyant gunslinger, and he's a humble Jack of all trades, but-"_ she paused, thinking of the right words, _"They're both Intelligent hunters. Both have an affinity for the unknown or forgotten. And have a penitent for getting into shenanigans without really meaning too."_

Dave admired the view as they walked the highest platform of the scaffolding towards the shadow of the mountains. Sagira paused, her eye dilating as she drummed up old memories.

_"I remember when she would hassle Osiris for the use of his library to find out what the Vex had on Rasputin. One day she got so fed up with his refusal, that she had her ghost ask me privately if I could help them with a prank on 'old Ozzy.'" _Sagira chuckled fondly, _"I said yes, of course, and deliberately set his alarm five hours late the morning of a crucial Vanguard meeting, which he had to attend."_

Sagira fondly sighed as they reached the end of the platform and began making their way down another flight of stairs.

"What did Ana do," Dave asked, intrigued.

_"Well, Osiris was in such a hurry to get to the meeting; he forgot to look where he was going and-._" Sagira was barely able to keep herself straight as her blue light flickered red. "-he ended up slipping on some oil l_eft on the stairs leading down to the vanguard meeting table. He banged his head on edge and knocked himself out!"_

Sagira lost it and began laughing to the point where her shell expanded in a sphere of transparent light. "_Oh-oh, it gets better. Ana filled Andal in on her plan earlier, and he ended up recording the whole encounter. "_Sagira paused to collect herself, _"Saint-14 was confused at first before he realized it was just a prank, and he joined in the amusement."_

_"Andal ended up sharing it with his buddy Cayde, who shared that with every guardian he knew, who then shared it with every guardian they knew. It eventually trickled down to Osiris's followers, who then began a tirade on searching for whoever did this to their 'lord and savior.'" _Sagira paused and chuckled humorously,"_ Ana ended up doing a month-long recognizance mission, kindly assigned to her by an apologetic Andal who had berated Cayde for letting it spread too quickly."_

Sagira paused as they reached the bottom of the stairs to turn and face Dave, _"And you want to know the best part?"_ To which Dave nodded, smiling.

_"Osiris never knew who did it._" She answered cheerfully before moving on to the shop.

"Sounds like all of you had fun in this 'Last city.'"

_"Oh boy, did we, guardians found lots of ways to have fun,"_ Sagira muttered on,_ "__**way **__to much fun at times."_

"What was that?" Dave inquired, turning his head back from ahead of her.

_"Oh, nothing."_ Sagira excused zipping forward, leading them towards a lain white building with paned windows, a brown door, and a flat roof.

"Doesn't look likes he's there, though."

Upon reaching Dodge's workshop, the two found it devoid of life. Wedging through the door to the dull-looking building, Dave found himself in the middle of an organized mess of metal scraps, carbine rifles, and all manner of trinkets. To the left of the door, Dave could see that Dodge had been working on some sort of new Destiny tech weapon. Far to his right, next to the garage door, a rocket launcher rested by a corpse of a Nifheim MT. In the center of this whirlpool of tinkering, sat what looked like an unpainted motorbike without Its wheels.

Steeping closer to look at it, Dave found it to be powered internally by som kind of glowing cylindrical engine. Before he could ask Sagira what it was, Dave heard a light southern voice speak out from the doorway.

"It's a sparrow if that's what you're wonderin'."

Turning around, Dave spotted the silhouette of Dodge leaning in the empty doorway. "Seams a bit too big and metal to a bird, don't ya think?"

The silhouette chuckled, stepping into the light of the workshop. His lips set with a bemused expression. Gone was the green and brown patchworked hunter armor; in its place was a black and silver themed tactile hunter gear set. One notable exception being his cape, which seemed to have remained the same Dark red with silver coloring. Of course, he still had his Midland-dreams auto rifle strapped to his back, and his hand-canon to his hip. "I would think so. It's a guardian vehicle."

"I thought as much," Dave looked back at the vehicle, "It a bike?"

"Of sorts, thrusters certainly ad a little kick to the stereotype. But in the end, it's just an off-road bike." Dodge stated before individualizing the rest of the vehicle, "Sustains a max speed of sixty mph, with adjustable turning speed, and brake speed." As if to prove his pint, Dodge tapped on the brake and accelerator system, which caused the engine to hum to life. Moving around the table so he could ace the aft of the Sparrow, Dodge explained further, "Instead of exhaust, this puppy emits pure energy trails by converting smoke into a programmable matter that gets ejected out the main propellant." Tiny sparks glittered out of the exhaust.

Turning his back to the Sparrow and leaning on the table, Dodge addressed Dave. with his arms crossed in a relaxed manner. "Wich all makes for a great light show."

"I'm impressed; sure you're not moving on to the auto industry? I'll bet old Cid will have something to say about that." Dave jested sincerely.

"Cid? The owner and proprietor of...Hammerhead, correct? I've yet to meet him," Dodge feigned innocence, 'In real life, that is.'

"Yes, that's right, you haven't met him yet." Dave acknowledges, "Perhaps you can stop by on your road to the crown city."

Dodge quirked an eyebrow, "Crown city? The only business I got there would be to buy a pin-stripe suit."

"Or perhaps, a royal summons?" Dave asked, reaching for an envelope in the pocket of his pants.

_'Is that what I think it is?_' Sagira noted.

Chuckling, the guardian responded." Maybe, hey, what's with the long face, Dave?" Dodge then noticed the envelope emerging from Dave's front pocket." Don't tell me a hunter died?"

"no, I-" Dave looked pale for a second as he realized what Dodge asked. "No-ones disappeared or been found dead in months. No doubt, thanks to you."

"Good, because I thought that letter was for me." Dodge chuckled nervously.

_'That's because it is, you worry-wart._' Sagira remarked to Dodge.

"It is," Dave confirmed, "Why would I give you a letter about someone's death?"

"It is?" Dodge repeated, snatching the envelope from Dave's hands. It was a piece of parchment, carefully folded into thirds, and sealed with wax using a ring: The ring of the Lucii. Dodge sighed, "Shoot."

_'They're six months early.'_ Sagira noted, _'I thought WE were going to approach THEM.'_

'Perhaps they're even more desperate than I anticipated.' Dodge thought. 'Maybe I should have taken into consideration the war fatigue.'

_'Somehow I think Osiris has rubbed off on you.'_ Sagira muttered in his head.

'well, I am alive thanks to his ghost,' Dodge thought to her before turning back to Dave, "Why would they summon me?"

Dave gave him a raised eyebrow in response, "You make high tech guns for a living, and they're in the middle of a war with an enemy with high-tech guns. What do you think."

Dodge rolled his Eyes as he pulled out his knife and carefully sliced open the summons. Reading it, the Texas native was a bit ashamed of how formal-looking it compared to his letters. At the top of the message was the royal sigil, with King Regis's name typed to the top left below it. The rest of the letter read as follows.

**Mr. Dodge Hatchback,**

_Dear Dodge,_

**I am sending this to you in a most desperate hour, for my kingdom is brought back continually, by the forces of Nifelheim. Their advanced technology and lack of thought for my people concern me much.**

**Dodge, you are perhaps, our best hope-**

Dodge rolled his eyes at the political BS. 'Or more accurately, a cheap and easy solution.'

**Thanks to your exact nature, you have created an organization that speaks to the common-every day man: One that seeks to build hope for a better future. One that the Kingdom of Lucis shares genuinely as we- **'skip.' Dodge thought, skipping to the bottom,

**Please consider joining us this Monday to meet and discuss the future of working together to build a better future.**

**with best hope and wishes,**

_Regis Lucis Caelum the third_

**King Regis.**

"Politicians," Dodge muttered as he places the letter down on the table. "Politicians never change."

_"So that was the Emo guy's father? I think I know where he gets it from." _

"Look, you two; I know it may seem to be a bunch of political bullcrap, But think of the good that can come from this," Dave argued.

"Oh we're going, just have to prepare for this Monday." Dodge agreed, although reluctantly. "By the way, what day is it?"

"Sunday." _"Sunday."_ Sagira and Dave said at once, before turning to look at each other. "_Jinx, you owe me a soda."_

"Shit." Dodge muttered, "How far away is the Crown city from here by car, Sagira."

_"Twenty-five hours to the citadel, and the citadel closes at five. The time right now is three a clock. You're welcome."_ Sagira informed Dodge smugly. Dodge, however, paced worriedly.

"I can take you there, Dodge; it's no worry." Dave supplied helpfully.

"No, no, we would never make it in time, unless" Dodge halted mid-pace, before standing straight. Turning to his left, he stared inquisitively at the metal form of the Sparrow lying on the table. "Sagira, rerun those numbers with the Sparrow taken into account."

_"I did, Dodge,"_ Sagira spoke matter-of-factly.

Glancing at a nearby workbench, dave grabbed a small key-like device and held it up to his eyes. "Sagira, tell everyone to clear the way to the main gate."

_"On it."_ Sagira floated over to a computer and began interfacing with it.

"have you even tested that?" Dave asked as Dodge carefully inserted the critical device into a socket in the Sparrow, before backing up.

Dodge ignored him, "Watch this."

Dave watched as the dull metal gray of the vehicle was slowly replace by a dark red with gold highlights. The engine hummed to life as it floated up off the table and nearly into the sealing.

_"Done, ready for a test run?"_ Sagira asked excitedly as the garage door opened, letting natural light fill the workshop.

"As ready as I'll ever be," Dodge turned to Dave, "Good luck out there."

"Good luck in the city. I heard the trafficks just as bad as the food." Dave chuckled as the two shook hands.

* * *

The last reporter van had just finished packing up outside the fort. Its occupants currently enjoying a cup of Ebony as they plotted a course for the local motel. Taking a look outside, the female reporter looked on as the gates were open. "Come on, Louis, get the camera."

"On it, boss, right away." A thin, redheaded man in a beige preserver, a white flannel shirt, and a pair of torn-up jeans replied: Picking up a hefty camera with his two hands.

Once outside, he barely had enough time to start recording, as she began speaking, "Hi, this is Clara Kent, here reporting for Meteor Publishing News, I stand just outside the open-"

Before she could finish, a whooshing noise happened as a glowing motorbike zoomed on out of the fort at breakneck speeds. Its rider's hooded red cape was flashing for all to see.

The Van stayed silent as the news crew tried to understand what they just saw. Clara stayed silent for a minute, before eying Louis. "Did you catch that?"

Louis nodded slowly.

* * *

It was a beautiful and relaxing afternoon for Cindy Aurum, as she watched the sunset with her pa'. She rested uneasily in her chair, however, in her folding chair, knowing soon it would be dark out. Though the number of Daemon sightings were down, that didn't protect travelers from getting killed by them. "I hope no-one dies tonight." She somberly noted.

Her grandfather, Cid, nodded. "the roads would be much safer if that new 'Tech' guy would lend us some of those new headlights; instead of installing them on cars himself."

Cindy sighed, "If only you could talk to the guy pa'. I'm sure you could talk sense into him."

"And I assume you think he'll just fall outa' the sky and help us, huh." The grizzled mechanic turned towards his Daughter. "Those big, 'see-oh,' types are all the same. One day they're out in a charity ball, the next they're putting small business owners out of business."

Cindy fought back, "Who knows he could do just that!"

Of course, the two of them being engaged in this conversation with each other, they both missed a sixty-five mile per hour missile incoming until it skidded to a halt on top of the scrap metal overhang of their gas-station. "Wooh nailed it." A voice shouted from atop the missile.

"What in tarnation is that?" The grandfather and his grandaughter said at the same time.

_"Err, Dodge. How are we supposed to get the Sparrow down?" _Sagira asked, sparkling into existence near his shoulder. "_And it seems you caught something on the way."_

Dodge only had enough time to dodge as a Sabertusk jumped over him. Cindy and Cid watched the creature leaped over the ducking figure on top of the roof, and came plummeting towards them. Landing on its clawed paws, the misshapen black beast faced the two mechanics. The creature let out a terrifying growl as it bared its tusks attached to the jugular. Licking its mouth with its long tongue, it stalked its new prey.

"Cindy, get behind me," Cid ordered, pulling out a small dagger, only for Cindy to shake her head.

"I ain't gonna let you die for me, Pa'." Cindy said defiantly, 'not after my parents.'

"I said-"*bang* Cid was interrupted by a gunshot from the figure on top of the roof. The creature's eyes widened as it dissolved into the air.

All was silent for a few minutes before Dodge lept of the roof, and double jumped to where they were: Landing crouched in front of them. "Sorry about that, darn thing-"

"What in sam hell was that!" Cid's frustrated voice interrupted Dodge's. "I could have died thanks to you."

Dodge, realizing the predicament he was in, raised his hands in defense." Woah, Woah, Woah. Look, I'm sorry about dragging that Sabertusk with me. It was an unplanned variable in my-"

"'Unplanned variable'! I was prepared to die for my Daughter if-" Cid caught his slip of the tongue, glancing back to his granddaughter, "if necessary."

"And I'm sorry. I was in a rush and happened to take the wrong shortcut." Dodge tried to console. "Look, I didn't mean this, I swear."

Silence overtook the two men, which gave Sagira time to but in. _'I'll get the sparrow down from the roof.'_

'thanks, while your there, do we have any Dr. pepper in storage?'

_'Down to our last bottle._' Sagira calculated for him.

'Save it.' Dodge meagerly noted.

Cindy Aurum decided to intervene in the silence, "Say what got you in such a tumble anyways, stranger."

Dodge sighed, "I got a Royal summons earlier today, to appear before the Royal Council by tomorrow."

Cid's ears picked up at this, "That doesn't sound like the Reggie I know, he always prepared for meeting well in advance. Say, whats he sumonnin' you for anyway?"

'That's right, he used to fight alongside him, didn't he?' Dodge thought before responding. "It's about the weapons and armor I've developed for the hunters. Though, no doubt, my side business with various technologies is what's caught the public eye; and subsequently the King himself"

Cid, for a moment, seemed impressed; before he made the connection. "Say, your the numskull putting those fancy headlights on people's cars, ain't you?"

Dodge blinked behind his mask, "Why yes. Why? Do you have a problem with it?"

Cid took a step back, "Why yes, I do have a problem with it! Why havent I been able to get my hands on em myself!"

Behind his mask, Dodge's mouth twitched to the side. "Look, Dave had just-"

"Dave had _Just asked you to_?" Cid finished for him, "I asked him if I could get my hands on it a week ago! Does everything take this long to get to you!"

"Pa` I think that's enough, It's clear he has trouble with communication." Cindy interrupted her Grandpa's rant, deciding enough fighting had taken place. "And you, do you need any help getting your ride down?"

"No, I already have someone on it," Dodge answered vaguely, guesting up to the scrap metal overhang shaped like a shark. Upon which, Cindy could make a faint light that was probably emitting from the missile he arrived on; though, looking closer, she could make out a- "By the way, I didn't catch your name, miss?" Dodge asked, diverting her attention deliberately.

"Oh yes, the names Cindy, nice to meet you, stranger." Cindy reached out to shake his gloved hand.

Dodge took hers and gave a good shake, "Howdy, My name's Dodge, Nice to meet you too. So your Grandpa was saying something about the headlamps I developed."

Cindy leaned back and put her finger to her cheek, "Yes, those things. My paw paw is just worried about what happened to my parents will continue to happen, If we don't get our hands on 'em."

Dodge paused for a second, before unclasping his helmet, revealing the young face permanently etched into an immortal man. "I'm sorry for your loss."

"Don't be, I lost them a long time ago when I was `purty young," Cindy reassured, though her arms wrapped around herself.

"Still, its never easy losing your folks like that. I lost track of mine thanks to the war, and never found out if they made it." Dodge shrugged, sliding his helmet down to clip it to his belt.

"Niflheim?" Cindy asked, curious.

"Sure, let's go with that," Dodge evaded before he sighed. "Anyways, I'll send a truckful of those headlights your way as soon as I can. Free of charge."

The grease monkey looked startled as she mentally processed what he just said. Her face contorting as she tried to think of what made him do such a thing. Before she had a chance to ask, a sudden thunk echoed beside them, as the ride Dodge had taken smacked onto the concrete beside them.

As if that wasn't enough of a shock, out of nowhere, a little orb appeared. It seemed to have a hexagonal eye and swirling pieces of metal around it. Of course, when it talked, Cindy was shocked into silence. _"Done, now, how did it go?" _The smug sounding orb teased Dodge.

"About as well as you might expect, words were said, heartstrings were pulled, and I have this sudden urge to drink sweet tea." Dodge jested with Sagira.

"Wha-what is that thing?" Cindy asked, leaning in to get a closer look at the floating object.

_"*sigh* this is getting really annoying, Dodge. Really annoying."_ Sagira muttered her shell, shrinking in on itself.

Dodge chuckled at his little lights, misfortune, "Sorry about her, she's my immortally bound partner in crime, Sagira."

The ghost bobbed down and then back up, "How do you do?"

"Now your just full of surprises, aren't you?" Cindy chuckled, looking up slightly at Dodge, Before turning her attention to the red and gold vehicle before her. "And what is this beauty called?"

"It's a prototype 'sparrow,' a hover-cycle if you get right down to it," Dodge explained as he watched Cindy squat down and caress the Sparrow. "Should I give you two some alone time," Dodge joked, to which Sagira rolled her eye at him.

Cindy acted as though she didn't hear him until he tapped her shoulder. "oh, I'm sorry. Shouldn't have touched without askin', but... She's just beautiful. You made her?" She looked at him, impressed.

"Yep," Dodge smirked, feeling his ego start to rise up.

Cindy laughed, "Man, you really are something, Dodge."

"As much as I like hearing you two shoot the breeze, I think its time for you to go, mister," Cid called over from his chair.

_"He's right, Dodge, can't keep the King waiting."_ Sagira agreed, as she phased out and back into Dodge's light.

Dodge nodded with the two, as he put his helmet back on. "Well, it was fun speaking to y'all. But I really must get going."

"Good luck Dodge," Cindy farewelled, "I had fun, Do you think you could come by again sometime?"

Dodge looked up as he got into his seat, "I should think so, I may need a way to sell these things commercially."

"Oh, and say Hi to Reggie for me!" Cid called over from his chair, causing the two to chuckle.

"Don't worry, I will," Dodge called back.

With one last nod towards Cindy, Dodge hit the accelerator on his Sparrow and zoomed off into the night. His Sparrow lighting up the road miles at a time.

* * *

The streets of the crown city were packed early that morning, as were the roads. The morning commute traffic jam was backed up for 12 miles with it taking two hours to reach downtown; fortunately, Sagira had predicted this happening in her initial calculation.

Dodge scanned his surroundings, 'it would honestly be faster to parkour to the citadel.'

_'Well, we could try the underground, but that might lead to a dead-end,' _Sagira explained to her bored guardian.

Unkown to Dodge or Sagira, their vehicle was attracting some attention from bored pedestrians and motorists. As their Sparrow inched further, Drivers did double-takes as they noticed the strange motorcycle. One pedestrian went as far as to pull out a pair of binoculars she was carrying before shrugging her shoulders.

Dodge kept his eyes looking for a shortcut until something else caught his eye. A quaint little clothes shop with an offer of fifty percent of Pin-stripe suits, ties, and hats plaster on the window. In the store window, Dodge spotted the suit and tie on display. 'I do need to look good for the council.'

_'No way,'_ Sagira said, _'Unless you want to parkour, all the way to the citadel.'_

'Think you can store the Sparrow in our inventory?' Dodge asked, ignoring what she said.

_'If I can handle ten tons of glimmer, I think I can handle a fifty-pound high-velocity hoverbike.'_ Sagira, '_Plus your groceries.'_

'Alright, let's do this,' Dodge thought as he hopped off his Sparrow. The car behind him honked at him until they saw the bike disappear into thin air. The vehicle eagerly moved into the place the hoverbike had just sat.

Fifteen minutes later, Dodge stepped out of the clothes shop, bag in hand. 'Alright, let's get going, sagira set waypoints on my HuD.'

'On it.' Sagira acknowledged.

* * *

Ignis Scientia, was, by all means, a resourceful man. No one could say otherwise, though he lacked somewhat socially, he made up for in intellect and distinct self-worth. After all, his job was to advise the Crown prince of Lucis, and if need be: defend him. Though, that is not to say there were things he couldn't understand. For example, an athletic man, dressed head to toe in black armor, except for a flaring red hood, who jumped mid-air over the Regalia.

"Woah, did you see that, guys! That dude just flew!" Prompto, the camera loving blond cried, elbowing him in the side.

"Prompto, it was probably just your imagination," Noctis, the Insomniac Prince, exclaimed tiredly.

"No, your highness, I'm afraid what Prompto is saying is true. An armored figure did just jump between the rooftops in a manner not dissimilar to a bird," Ignis stated, confirming the blonde's statement.

"What, like Assasins Creed?" Noctis snorted disbelievingly.

"Yes, exactly like Assasins Creed, think this guy was a cosplayer?" Prompto excitedly prompted.

"Sure, why not. What do you think, Iggy?" Noct asked his adviser.

"I highly doubt so, though I may be proven wrong. The attire, if anything, is more befitting of one of those space games you like to play. And as for if he is a cosplayer or not. I'm merely afraid, most cosplayers can't jump mid-air." Ignis explained thoroughly.

"You kinda lost me there, dude." Prompto awkwardly shuffled in his seat.

"Yeah, me too," Noctis agreed with his friend.

"The man can jump in the middle of the sky," Ignis revised through the skin of his teeth.

"Oh, maybe he is a member of the Kingsglaive?" Noctis pondered off-handedly.

"Perhaps, though, I have not heard of a member with a thing for cosplay. I highly doubt a member of the Kingsgalive would go out dressed in armor like that." Ignis pondered.

"Yeah, what glaive would want to look like a Nif anyway?" Noctis laughed.

Over at the citadel, Titus Drautos, head of the Kingsglaive, sneezed. He paused for a second, before returning to some paperwork.

* * *

A full hour after Dodge had jumped over the Trio, he finally reached the main gate to the citadel. Glancing at the time, he saw he had thirteen minutes to get to the throne room. 'Sagira, the suit.'

_'On it, now hurry up.'_ Sagira urged.

As Dodge approached the guards crewing the gate, his armor and hood shimmered before being replaced by a slick black a silver pin-stripe suit. Straightening his Tie, he approached the first guard he could find, "Howdy, I'm Dodge Hatchback and-" Dodge pulled out his letter, "I'm pretty late."

The guard took his letter and waved the captain over, who took a look at the letter himself. Looking up, the captain of the guard waved the barrier to be raised, before handing Dodg's summons back. "Your lucky, three more minutes, and we wouldn't have let you in. Better hurry."

Dodge nodded his thanks to the captain, before jogging through the gate, which wasn't hard since he still had on his armored boots._ 'Well, perhaps parkour was the best solution.'_ Sagira noted for him. Once Dodge reached the foot of the steps, he paused to take the sight in. Flashes of the battle with Ifrit, The gods taking down a bubble shield, and Notis saying farewell to his father, went through his mind.

'Perhaps, it won't have to be that way,' Dodge thought.

_'Let's get going, Dodge,'_ Sagira reminded him.

Once inside, Dodge was met by an intricately designed lobby, with a janitor sweeping up in the middle of it. "Howdy, sir, can you direct me to the throne room?" Dodge asked the tired old man.

"Sir?" The Janitor repeated puzzled, before answering, "Down the hall, to the elevator, floor thirty-seven."

"Thank you, sir, good luck with the floor," Dodge thanked with a tip of the hat, smiling at the man.

The Janitor smiled and returned to his job.

_'You handled that well,'_ Sagira thought as Dodge found his way to the elevator.

'How so?' Dodge asked, puzzled at her observation.

_'You didn't cause someone to yell at you for one. Please keep it up,_' Sagira finished.

Pressing the button to the elevator, Dodge was startled to find it open instantaneously. Out of the elevator stepped a Kingsglaive soldier whose helmet was on, concealing his face.

"after you, sir," the soldier respectfully spoke to Dodge.

The man's voice was familiar to Dodge, as he stepped into the elevator with the soldier, who tapped a button on the panel. The doors closed, and the two men stood side by side, shoulder by shoulder.

"Your late," the soldier stated, "Sir."

"I got the letter yesterday; I came as soon as I got it." Dodge relaxed in his posture a bit, as the uniformity of the situation felt familiar. Memories of his time in the army nearly overcoming his conscience.

"Odd, Drautos sent it to you a month ago." the soldier turned to face him, "Am I supposed to believe him or you."

"Titus Drautos, of course," Dodge answered with an evident smirk, "It would do unwell to question a superior officer." Dodge crooked his head before continuing, "Though on an entirely other note, I hear Glauca has agents everywhere, even in the Kingsgalaive."

The soldier, for a second, seemed to want to rebuke this, before calming down and electing to remain silent.

"Fifty more floors to go? I knew the citadel was massive, but this makes reunion tower seem fast." Dodge sighed, 'Sagira, do you still have my pitch notes?'

_'Yes, all twenty of them, which one do you want to use?'_

'Combine the first half of number sixteen and the latter half of number three.' Dodge picked, before turning slightly to examine the soldier beside him. The hood and mask obscured most of him, but Dodge could make out blue eyes with a marking underneath his left one. On his right shoulder, a dull silver horn sat nestled into the fur of the hood. Other than that, there was nothing all that out of the ordinary.

"Something wrong, sir?" The soldier questioningly asked.

"No, just bored. I've been hoping to meet the King for a while now. Hell, even have it all in my head," Dodge exposited toward the man, "I was just wondering what the story with the horn is all."

The soldier relaxed a bit, "Oh, that's just a sign of accomplishment in battle."

Dodge nodded along with him, memories of the second American civil war running through his head, "So you're a field soldier, eh? What got you stuck here?"

"I'm injured, recovering from a bullet wound. Until then, I'm on guard duty." The blue-eyed soldier groaned at his situation.

Dodge only chuckled, "well, at least the food doesn't stink when you're not on tour."

The soldier only chuckled in response, to stop when he realized who he was talking too. "Were you a soldier?"

"More or less," Dodge evasively answered.

The man shifted, "For who?"

"You wouldn't know them if I told you," Dodge answered, only to find the hilt of a dagger pressed into his sternum.

_'And I called it too soon, well done, Dodge,'_ Sagira slow clapped in Dodge's head.

"Who," The soldier ordered.

"Texas special forces unit. 117, headquarters Odesa." Dodge answered instinctively, hoping the guy would ease off.

"No, really, who?" The soldier applied more pressure to Dodge's sternum.

"Sagira, a little help here," Pleaded Dodge out loud, which confused the soldier.

_'On it,_' Sagira's shell fizzled into existence behind the soldier's head. _"Boo,"_ she whispered into his ear, startling him enough for him to drop his weapon, which was promptly picked up by Dodge.

"What?" The soldier asked, before seeing Dodge with his dagger. The man angrily summoned his other blade and slashed at the Guardian, only to met by the one held by Dodge. Seeing the knives before him, Dodge recognized who's these were. The pieces of the puzzle formed in his head.

"Nyx," he gasped without meaning too.

Hearing his name, Nyx eased the tension on his end. Giving Dodge ample room to kick him off.

"How do you know my name?" Nyx asked between breaths.

"I'm from a planet called earth, and if you are who I think you are. I can trust you with that information." Dodge sighed, leaning onto the opposite side of the elevator from him, with his arms crossed.

"An alien," Nyx sighed, looking at Sagira, "Your a god's damned alien."

Dodge rambled, "For me, it's one God, and no, I'm not about to debate philosophy, but yeah. I'm an alien."

The two remained silent as they watched the floor counter rise ever so slowly.

"So, what are we going to do now?" Sagira asked the two.

"Tell me how you know my name for one," Nyx answered for her, pointing his dagger at her.

_"Were from another planet, in another universe, where your story is but fiction,_" Sagira explained unflinchingly.

"And I'm supposed to believe that how?" Nyx asked.

"Ask Drautos next time you see him, where he was when Tenebrae fell," Dodge answered, before signaling for Sagira to disappear.

"What do you mean by that?" Nyx stood straight up, looking questioningly at Dodge, who innocently turned to face the doors of the elevator.

"Youll see," Dodge smirked as the elevator dinged. The doors opened to reveal a lobby with a few people already inside. One of whom, Nyx recognized as Titus Drautos, who was leaning on a pillar. Upon seeing the elevator door open, Titus stood to greet Dodge with a look of surprise.

"I was beginning to think you wouldn't show, the council is ready to see you now," Titus addressed Dodge, "Of course, we will need to pat you down for any hidden weapons." he motioned for some guards, who walked over and began patting down Dodge.

'Calm thought dodge, calm thoughts. this man can't hurt you while he is out of his armor.' Dodge reassured himself.

_'Perhaps we should capitalize on that,_' Sagira thought, to Dodge's agreement.

"I was surprised at how soon this meeting was," Dodge conversed to Drautus, "Is it usual for letters to arrive the day before a meeting, or is it just that important?"

Drautus paused before answering, "No, I thought I sent it to you weeks ago."

Dodge hummed, "Well, you'll pardon my lateness then. After all, it isn't like you would _deliberately_ make it so it would arrive late." Dodge's face spoke of a feigned naivety that clued Titus in on what he was saying.

Titus' face steeled, "Of course, it must have been a courier mistake."

Dodge outwardly smiled, "Of course." As he said so, the guards finished patting him up. "Well, best, keep him waiting, oh, and Nyx."

Nyx, who had been watching the exchange while leaning on the wall, looked at Dodge as he tossed his dagger back to him. In front of everyone else. "Thanks?"

The guards who had patted him down, gaped like fish as they saw Dodge walk past them alongside Titus. Who himself seemed surprised that the dagger would make it past their watch, especially one as big as Nyx's.

"No problem, I almost forgot you handed it to me, my mistake," Dodge internally smirked as he watched everyone's reactions. It was almost as if they couldn't evaporate weapons with ease either. 'Ah magic, how similar it is to the light that one could easily mistake one for the other.'

Turning to Titus, Dodge had one last question, "I've got one last thing I need to ask, though."

Titus gazed sharply at him in annoyance, "What?"

"At what time do I bow?"Dodge demonstrated by leaning his waist forward as if he were bowing, and quickly returning.

For once, Titus seemed amused at the question, "Whenever you feel like it, I suppose. Just don't hurt the King's e-feelings."

"Alright, thanks." Dodge faced the door with his hands crossed in front of him. when the announcement came of his arrival, he turned to face those behind him, "Wish me luck."

When the doors opened, Dodge was met by a brief flashback. An image of an old blonde-haired man in a suit and tie sitting behind a wooden desk in the remnants of an ovular office. His skin tinted orange from time spent in the sun, and a face weary from stress.

Regis Lucis Caelum sat straight in his throne., looking beyond his assembled court towards the main door, where a figure dressed in a pinstripe suit stood: an arms dealer based in Cleigne. This man had been making strides in technology development, making affordable Daemon repellent lights for the people outside of the crown city. Or at least, that what his court told him he was. His knowledge of what fate said, on the other hand, was even more minimal: Nothing, absolutely nothing.

Perhaps Bahamut thought of this man as insignificant to the larger picture, if so, his presence would not hinder anything. This man could bring the illusion of hope to people if nothing else. Put their minds at ease before fate would let the loose the ball on them. Regis, after all, could do only so much to aid Noctis on his journey towards ascension, giving his surroundings a bit of a positive air would do him some good. Gods know what it would do to improve his attitude towards life.

But perhaps that would lead to him rejecting Destiny and denying the Gods their will. It was a sad truth, but none the less, an important one. If Noctis were to forsake his Gods, then the burden on his shoulders would only get more cumbersome and less likely to succeed.

But Regis couldn't dwell on these facts, as the man before him introduce himself.

"It is an honor to be summoned here to speak before you all. And a true honor to stand here before you now, my fellow human beings." The arms dealer spoke with an air of sincerity in his voice, though his comment on humanity earned a few puzzled looks from members of the court.

"Dodge Hatchback, founder and Ceo of Destiny technologies." The man bowed as he reached the first landing before him, "At your humble service."

If Regis was at all interested in what this man had to say, he didn't show it. "And, are you fully aware of why you have been summoned here?"

The man before him shrugged his shoulders in a very casual manner, "I must confess I did skim over the details in my rush to get here in time."

Regis gestured for one of the council members to recount the summons. In the row of seats to his right, a brown-haired middle-aged court member stood up from her seat and recounted from a scroll.

"Dodge Hatchback, It has come to the attention of this court, that you possess advanced technologies, that have been used in aiding civilians in the contested territories of Lucis. It is with our humble request that your company is to aid us in our war effort," after reciting from the scroll, the woman sat down back into her seat.

"Ah, I see," The CEO observed. "You want me to sell you weapons? Or to start creating weapons, armor, and all sorts of technologies specifically for your troops."

"Yes, indeed, it is. Will you aid us?" King Regis formally.

"Depends on how much you're offering. Supporting you would be a significant risk on my part. Niflheim would probably attempt to assassinate me," The Arms dealer bartered.

A bald council member looked to Regis to speak, with a nod from Regis, the man stood up. "We thought as much; we are prepared to offer you ten million Col a year, and these ten properties." The council member gestured towards the bottom of the stairs, as the clicking of boots could be heard.

A servant in a suit and tie appeared from around the corner, handing him a manilla folder. "Here you go, sir."

"as you can see, these are prime real estate. Perfect for selling your wares, and producing them." The council member boasted.

Dodge Hatchback leafed through the properties within, before scoffing and throwing a handful of them out. The servant moved to grab them, only for them to disappear into thin air in a shower of tiny blue sparks. The court moved in shock, and the guards tensed, ready to attack.

Regis held his hand up, for everyone to sit back down. Dodge had finally caught his attention. "Is there a problem with our selection?" Regis asked, feigning innocence of what as just witnessed.

"Three of them weren't worth the effort to renovate, and one wasn't necessary seeing as it's just down the street from a warehouse in this list," Dodge explained, to the King's amusement.

"I take it you are not pleased with this offer?" Regis asked.

The Arms dealer side and held up the manilla folder, "No, I think I can do better. All the properties you have in this list are located in Insomnia. None of them are resource producers, and only two of them are fo any use to me." Dodge let his arm sag along with the manilla folder.

"And what would you propose as a fair deal?" Regis asked, Intrigued by Dodge's blatant response.

"Five million is Gil, and Five million in Col. Three of the properties left in this folder, and two pieces of property outside of Insomnia of my choosing." Dodge swiftly answered.

"And these properties are?" A court member asked impulsively.

In response, Dodge smirked and held open his palm. On which materialized a blinking sphere, with a revolving beige shell. The orb floated over and shot out a beam of light, which projected a map of Lucis. Two red dots were marked on it.

"You may know the first," as he spoke the map zoomed in on the closest dot to Lucis. "Balouve mines, a Daemon infested mine, that is still rich with resources."

At this point, he had stunned most of the court. Only King Regis was standing toe to toe with him.

"And how do you expect to clear it?" Regis inquired.

"I'll arrange for a team of hunters to continually clear the mines for a month. In what could be referred to as a strike, it should cleanse it enough so that new lights can be added, and work can be continued safely." Dodge elaborated.

"And what of this other location?" the map moved to focus on the second dot.

"An older Daemon filled ruin. Though most view it as an archeological site, I see it as a foundation for my new headquarters." Dodge carried on, "Where I can mass-produce weapons, armor, and experiment with old and new technologies."

"And what is it called," A frail court member questioned Dodge.

"Costlemark."

The room fell silent. Regis affixed his gaze on Dodge, through the hologram. He contemplated what this man was asking. He had heard rumors of what lay beneath it, a slumbering machine, an impossible Daemon horde, and a device that could kill a god. Giving this over to him could be detrimental, but the likelihood of him toppling the Daemons that had overrun the ruins over millennia was preposterous.

Though if he pulled that off, he could take the fight to the empire. And perhaps even end it, though, not before Glauca would kill him if the visions were real. How he would do such a thing was another matter.

"And how do you propose to reclaim such a ruin?" Regis leaned forward sternly.

"I'll do it personally," the man before him stated defiantly.

"And if you Die?" Regis supposed leaning back into his throne.

"I'll get better," the Guardian shrugged.

Silence echoed in the throne room, as Regis thoroughly contemplated the Arms dealer before him. For some time, it looked like he wouldn't speak at all until his voice broke through the silence like a hot knife through butter.

"Very, well. We shall sign the proper papers tomorrow at lunch. I'll arrange for a room for you tonight." The hologram disappeared as the sphere moved to rest over Dodge's shoulder.

"Thank you, your highness," Dodge bowed and turned to leave, but not before saying one last thing. "Oh, and Cid says Hi."

And with that, Dodge walked away at a brisk pace.

'What a strange young man.' Regis thought, 'Perhaps, he is one who makes his own fate. But that will have to wait. Noctis is coming over for dinner, and I can't be late.'

* * *

Once the doors closed behind Dodge, Regis stood straight up and hobbled quickly down the stairs, ignoring the bows of his court. He didn't want to be late for his son.

Titus Drautos sat back in his desk chair. Looking across his desk, he observed the retreating form of Nyx as he left his office. Waiting till he was left alone, he began to ponder out loud. "So, this man is from another planet? And knows things he otherwise wouldn't?"

Standing straight forward to his desk, he pressed a button underneath his desk. Out of the desk popped a secret drawer, with a radio in it. Titus reached down and picked it up. He silently contemplated before he pressed the button on the receiver. When he spoke, it was in a gruff voice, very unlike his usual stern one.

"To all agents, our new priority is taking out this, 'Dodge hatchback.' He knows crucial information about our operation; I want any leads I can about this guy. Glauca out."

'I'll catch you, you alien bastard.'

* * *

**(Bartholemeow) Who's a cheeky bastard? I am. I left a dangling cliffhanger, didn't I?**

**(D-bot) Not much of a cliff-hanger, it was kind of obvious Nyx would tattle to Drautos, unaware of his deceit.**

***Bartholemeow is regretting inventing D-bot***

**(D-bot) Really, sir?**

**(Bartholemeow) Oh shut up you. System just end it.**

***End chapter 5 ***


End file.
